Rainy WindowPane
by MidnightRosebud
Summary: They were brought together one dark, rainy night; entwining their destinies in an intricate web of fear, distrust, and horror. He's been searching for the haunted figure that stalks his world, and she may hold the secrets to unraveling it. Sakura/Sasuke
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes:** Hey Hi and welcome to my second Naruto fanfiction. I adore Gothic romance stories, and I've always wanted to try my hand at one, so here it goes. It's a bit darker then I originally intended it to be, but it just seems to want to be written that way. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am writing it. Enjoy the Prologue to "Rainy WindowPane." Constructive Criticism is always welcomed. 

_Disclaimer: I say this once and once only, so listen well. I do not own Naruto or its characters, but I do claim ownership of my own storyline and her characters. _

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**Rainy WindowPane**

**Prologue **

_What would you do if every time you wanted someone, they were never there?_

_What would you do if every time you cried out for help, nobody answered?_

_What would you do if you fell in love with someone, and then was forced to say good-bye?_

_What would you do if for every moment you were truly happy, there would be ten moments of sadness?_

_What would you do if your best friend died tomorrow, and you never got to tell them how you felt?_

_What would you do if you loved someone more than anything else, and you could never have him or her?_

_Some people live. Some people die._

_But I want to tell you that I love you…_

_That I will always be here for you when and if you need me…_

_If I died tomorrow, you would be in my heart forever._

_Would I be in yours?_

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The scent of blind panic, carried along the whispering wind smashed into his mind, and he knew he had found _him_.

He raced down the dark eerie alleyways, following the two scents that so strongly invaded his senses, one disgustingly familiar, one freshly unknown. He dashed through the gently falling rain, around a corner, and saw two dark figures masked by shadows.

He growled deep in his throat and _he_ leisurely stopped, a mere breath from the victim.

An eerie sneer alighted _his_ features, _his_ fangs flashing white in the dark before disappearing altogether, body and all.

Sasuke snarled in frustration, ready to give chase when the victim caught his eye.

She had pressed herself as close to the stone wall behind her as she could get. Her clothes were in tatters, drenched in water and muck. Her hair clung to her face and neck in wet stringy clumps. Her eyes were wide in fright, and her skin was pale and clammy.

She kept staring at the place where _he_ had been. Unblinking. Unmoving.

Sasuke began to wonder if _he_ had gotten to her before he could arrive when her eyes suddenly snapped up to his, and Sasuke suddenly found that he couldn't move.

His heart stopped and his breath stilled, before restarting in the faintest, in time with hers.

Her thin, frail body looked like it was barely holding her together, her clothes at least two sizes too big on her petite frame.

And then in the next moment she fainted, her body's stress finally catching up with her fatigue.

Sasuke's body acted of its own accord and caught her before she hit the ground, surprise flooding through his system at not only his reaction, but at just how thin and light she actually was. Now that he was closer he observed how unnatural the slimness was.

"He must have been desperate to go after her," he muttered to himself.

Now what to do? He couldn't just leave her here, not in the condition she was in.

Sighing heavily he decided to bring her home, already anticipating and half-dreading the conversation that would spring up because of it.

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**Author's Footnote: **I think I am certifiably insane. I am going to try and write two fanfictions at the same time. Alas, they both call out to me _at the same time_ to continue writing them, so I am heeding their call. So a word of warning now, updates may be slower than usual, but I will try my best to keep up with them both. 


	2. Terror

**Author's Notes:** I am absolutely thrilled to be writing this story. I cannot wait for you to read everything that is playing through my head right now. That is, of course, assuming that you find this story interesting enough to see through to its conclusion. Without further ado, let the first full chapter begin! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed. Enjoy!

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**Chapter One:**

**Terror **

He slowly approached his home, the dark wooden door lit by the flaming street lamps set into the street before the house, and along regular intervals. He stretched his senses further, and breathed a slight sigh of relief. Only his mother was home.

Keeping to the shadows as much as possible, he stole up the pathway and rested briefly on his porch, keeping a keen eye out for any nosy neighbors that might happen to look out their windows. Seeing him carry a half-dead looking, unconscious girl in the middle of the night home would cause more than a little unnecessary trouble.

Satisfied that he had made it back alone and unnoticed, he awkwardly shifted the girls' minimal weight and rapped on the door. He didn't want to risk dropping her or waking her by attempting to open the door himself.

A moment passed as he felt his mother's presence shift behind the door, alert for safety, then the door opened a crack and his mother's shadowed face looked at him questioningly.

"Sasuke? What on earth-?" Her voice caught at the sight of the girl in her son's arms. "Inside, quickly." Sasuke's mother stepped inside the door and held the door just wide enough to allow the two to pass in. Then she darted her eyes around the empty street before shutting the door with a solid click.

She followed her son's familiar presence down the hall and into their parlor. A single kerosene lantern lit the room, and she stared for a moment at the scene before her, taking it all in.

Her son was gazing down at their sofa, his midnight-blue hair slightly askew from running about around town, and his dark, dark eyes mirroring the confusion and loss she was sure echoed in her own. Her eyes shifted to the woman Sasuke had brought home.

It was a striking contrast.

The girl almost appeared to be drowning in her own clothes, that were so thin and ragged, Sasuke's mother was at a loss for how said girl had not come down with a sickness yet. The girl's hair was dirty and unwashed, a murky brown color, and her face, streaked with dirt and coal, was so pale and drawn she looked like she was in a state of living death. The girl seemed so out of place in the modest, but eloquent room of her house.

She knew there was a story here, but patiently awaited for her son to explain.

Sasuke, feeling his mother's stare, sighed quietly to himself and brought his face up to meet hers. Her own exquisite, long midnight hair and eyes were a beautiful distinction against her pale skin. He hesitated for a moment before stating quietly, "I found _him_."

Sasuke didn't miss his mother's tightening muscles in response, but she waited for him to continue.

"He was going after her," he indicated the girl next to him. "He was about to taste her, but I interrupted him. He fled, and she collapsed." A slight flush of embarrassment reached across his face. "I couldn't just leave her." His look was one of stubbornness and defiance.

Sasuke's mother watched him for another moment before relaxing a fraction. "Sasuke," she sighed. "I understand, but you can't bring home every person he goes after."

Sasuke scowled. "I've never brought anyone home before." His eyes darkened. "There's never been anyone left behind before."

His mother's eyes flashed crimson red for a moment before disappearing as if it had never been there. "I know," she answered, understanding more of his implications than he had actually spoken. She contemplated for a moment. "I suppose she knows of our existence then?"

Sasuke nodded.

She pursed her lips for a moment. "Then I suppose she may stay. Your father and brother would probably take the chance to speak to her, when they return before dawn." An almost ironic, forlorn smile spread across her lips. "They'll be…glad, I think, that they finally have a mortal witness."

Sasuke looked stricken for a moment, "Mother I-"

She held up a hand to stop him. "I'm fine Sasuke. Really, I am," she reassured her son, who looked back at her unsure.

"I almost have dinner ready. Come and get me when she awakens; we need to clean her up a bit before they get home." She said as she left the room in a blink of an eye.

Sasuke stared at the place where his mother had just stood, knowing she needed to have a moment to herself, but torn between wanting to comfort her and staying with the girl. He looked down at the girl and questioned why, exactly, he had taken her home. It wasn't like him to do something like that. She was just a strange, probably homeless girl, one of many throughout the dark alleyways of the city. But, her eyes, he remembered. For some reason, he couldn't get them out of his head.

At a loss for what to do with himself, Sasuke set his gaze about the room. There were several, comfy armchairs placed in a circle around the dark wooden table centered in the room, the sofa placed against the wall included in the circle. Across from the sofa was the fireplace, which had fallen to a dim glow, the hot orange-red embers glowing. On the mantle sat two unlit candles, placed at opposite ends, an ornate, antique golden clock keeping time between them.

Sasuke took a glance at the girl, and then walked over to the fire, stoking it and placing fresh wood inside the grate. She didn't look like she would survive catching a cold. The golden flames caught hold and slowly began to re-warm and light the room. The rich glow alighting the beautifully detailed painting set above the fireplace of Sasuke's family. Their faces gazing back out at the room unblinkingly, and resembling Sasuke and his mother so perfectly that it appeared to have been done last week.

This was what the girl first saw when she stirred from her restless dark abyss.

Her eyes opened blurrily and she felt warmth trying to seep through the layers of filth on her skin, something she hadn't felt in so long it was aching to remember. The red glow behind her eyelids, unveiled to reveal the painting of a family of four. She saw what appeared to be a mother, father, and their two sons. All of them looked identical in their dark looks, fair skin, and solemn expressions.

Her confusion of believing she was dreaming, gave way to a fresh wave of panic when she saw a dark shape move below the painting.

A man rose in front of the orange and red flames of the fireplace, and her heart hammered in her chest when the man turned to look at her. The tiniest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, as he watched her. "So you're awake," he stated in a tone that sent shivers down her spine. Flashbacks of hated memories obscuring his face. She tried to thrust them away, but her intuition wouldn't leave her alone, something wasn't right.

She vaguely recalled that his structure was identical to the one that had joined hers in that back alley with _him_. This person before her was the one who had made _him_ leave. She _should_ trust him, but she had been down that road before.

She blinked and he was in front of her in an instant, her heart stopped and then restarted in painful force. Adrenaline raced through her system, and her leg muscles tensed to run. _Vampire!_ Her mind screamed at her, this was what her instincts had warned her about. Her eyes widened in panic, and her breathing became more erratic.

Sasuke stood in surprise at the girl gazing up at him in absolute terror. Before he could stop her, she bolted off the sofa and made a mad dash for the door, faster than any human he had ever seen before, especially one in her state.

He beat her to the open doorway before she had even made it halfway there, his speed normal to himself. The girl froze with such an absolute stillness that Sasuke was afraid she had been turned to stone for a moment. Then, ever so slowly, she backed away from him and into the furthest corner of the room, never taking her wide, captivating eyes from his form.

Her back hit the corner and her knees finally buckled underneath her, her body falling to the ground with a _thump_.

Alarmed, Sasuke was at her side in an instant, and then realized right away that that was a mistake.

She shrank as close to the wall as she could get, her heart pounding in her throat, her eyes as wide as they could possibly get and full of nothing but fright.

Sasuke scowled in irritation. He hadn't meant to scare her. He kicked at the ground in frustration and the girl flinched sharply. He scowled agitatedly, counting to ten in his head before getting his actions under control. "I'm not going to hurt you, okay?"

She only eyed him alarmed, never taking her gaze off of him for an instant.

Sasuke growled in the back of his throat, and threw himself on the abandoned couch, watching her in return. He knew his mother had heard the interaction and would come to investigate shortly.

The two stared at each other, the ticking of the clock the only noise filling the silence, next to the occasional crack and hiss of the fire.

Minutes passed, and the girls' eyes began to fall shut again, exhaustion sweeping over her from her short burst of energy that had used up her already depleted reserves. When she finally nodded off, the tension in her body relaxed slightly, and Sasuke felt himself relax in return. This surprised him, as he hadn't realized he had tensed to begin with.

As her features softened in sleep, Sasuke realized with a jolt that she appeared to be around his own age.

He felt the whispering presence of another fill the room, but he didn't move.

"How is she?" the gentle voice of his mother asked as she silently made her way about the room, lighting the rest of the kerosene lamps and candles, chasing away the shadows of the room.

"She trusts us even less now," he muttered darkly.

"What happened?"

"She discovered that we're similar to _him_ in a certain way."

"I see," his mother's pitying dark eyes swept over the girl's crumbled form, huddled against the wall. "Poor girl, she went through quite an ordeal…has she said anything yet?"

Sasuke shook his head. "What are we going to do with her?" He asked after a moment.

The girl's eyes snapped open; startled that she had fallen asleep, and then terrified when her eyes swept over the room and discovered a new presence.

Sasuke's mother smiled gently at the girl. "Good evening, Miss," she began. "I'm Mikoto Uchiha, Sasuke's mother," she indicated her son, still sitting on the sofa. "How are you feeling?"

The girl's eyes widened in fright and didn't answer, but to scrunch her body closer to the corner, tension as thick as coils of rope twisted in the air around her.

Then her stomach gave an audible growl, as a heavy blush and a look of despair raced across the girl's façade. It had the effect of cutting the tension like a hot knife through butter, and Mikoto smiled tenderly. "How about I find you something to eat?" She walked gracefully out the door, mindful of her speed so as not to further frighten their guest, her deep violet skirts brushing against the floor in a murmur.

Sasuke stood up to stretch, and the girl tensed again.

"I'm just going to help my mother," he answered her unspoken question. He eyed her wasted frame. "If you need anything, we'll be in the kitchen. It's down the hall, first door on the right," he informed her before exiting the room.

She followed his movements with her eyes, and he too slowed his walk to that of a human, shutting the door softly behind him.

Sasuke entered the kitchen to see his mother with her full sleeves pushed up slightly and out of the way, chopping up an apple with a little more force than was entirely necessary. A frown was etched onto her face.

"She's too thin," Mikoto said quietly, almost to herself. "She'll waste away to nothing if she doesn't eat something and soon."

"Where's Dad?"

"You're father and Itachi are still out, tracking _him_ down." Her knife came down harder, cracking the plate with a fracture. "How could he do that?" She hissed. "She's barely alive as it is. Another week, maybe two, without food and she'll be dead." The crack deepened.

"He must have been desperate," Sasuke responded quietly. "The council has been keeping a close eye on him since…" He trailed off, glancing at her.

Mikoto's eyes flashed red for a brief second, and the plate broke neatly down the center. She stopped, closing her eyes against the memories.

"Did he touch her?" She asked her voice strangled.

Sasuke's eyes darkened. "I don't know. I didn't see anything when I arrived, but she won't let me close enough to check."

Mikoto frowned. "We may need to being Ms. Tsunade here to take a look," she muttered as she threw away the broken plate and checked the slices for stray shards. Satisfied, she calmly pulled out a new plate and arranged everything in a circle. "But let's make sure she survives long enough for that first."

Sasuke nodded and followed his mother back into the room.

The girl hadn't moved an inch, but eyed them warily as they entered in measured steps. Sasuke stood back as Mikoto approached the girl _very_ slowly, the girl watching her every movement.

The girl tried to push herself even further into the corner, like a caged animal, her face going pale and her frame trembling.

"It's okay," Mikoto reassured the slight girl before her. "They're just apple slices. You need to eat, sweetie. You're unhealthily tiny."

The girl stared at Mikoto in utter fear, her heart pounding, and her breath coming in short little gasps.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she soothed as she kneeled down in front of the girl. "No one will hurt you or touch you here. I promise you that," she looked the strange girl straight in the eyes. "Do you understand?"

The girl just stared at her in alarm; Mikoto set the plate down on the wooden floor next to her. Sasuke marveled at his mother's patience.

"And so now, Miss, I'm asking your permission. May I take a cursory look at you?"

The girl flinched in terror.

Mikoto held up her hands in peace. "We need to know your exact condition so that we can help you."

The girl continued to stare in fear, uncertain, until her stomach growled again.

A tiny smile graced Mikoto's face as the girl blushed again. "How about this? You eat, and I'll look you over. Deal?"

The wary girl gave the faintest of nods, too hungry to really argue anymore.

"Good girl." Mikoto turned to her son. "Sasuke? Why don't you leave the room for a minute to give us some-" She stopped as she caught the look on his face.

Sasuke was looking over her shoulder, looking incredulous. Mikoto turned to see the girl shaking her head slightly, frightened, and looking slightly surprised herself. Mikoto smiled understandingly. "Would you like him to stay?"

The girl's faded eyes locked on hers.

"Okay," she agreed softly. "That's just fine, but, Sasuke?"

"Yes?" He asked, still unnerved at the ragged girl's reaction.

"Would you please avert your eyes for her own privacy?"

He nodded dumbly, turning on the couch to face the wall. Sasuke heard the quiet nibbling crunch of an apple being eaten, the rustle of clothing, the soothing voice of his mother's murmurings, and her soft "tsk"-ing.

"Alright," he heard his mother say. "You can look now Sasuke."

Mikoto's smile was gentler still; as she picked up the now empty plate and turned to leave the room, unshed tears swimming in her eyes.

Sasuke felt a pang in his chest, which was immediately hushed by the familiar presence of another entering the house.

"Your father's home, Itachi should be right behind him," she stated, her voice carefully composed.

Sasuke nodded and made to follow her out, but glanced back at the girl once more before leaving. She still sat curled into a ball, but now her expression was forlorn and lost, gazing at the wall next to her at something only she could see.

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"How is this girl?" Sasuke heard his father ask as he entered the kitchen at the same moment as his older brother, who had just come in from outside.

"We managed to get her to eat. She's to the point that she should only eat small portions right now. Her body can't handle too much food at one time," his mother answered in return.

Sasuke's father nodded, then his frown deepened as he watched her face with a critical eye. "What else?"

The tears slid down her face silently. "She's been bitten," she choked out in a disgusted and bitter voice.

A tense silence filled the room.

"How many times?" Itachi asked in a flat voice.

"Twice," Mikoto's tone was dead.

A dark look crossed her family's faces, crimson flashing across her husband's eyes. "She's safe now," he assured her, holding her close.

"We need Ms. Tsunade to confirm when and who," Itachi prompted.

Their father nodded. "Can you fetch her?"

Itachi nodded and was gone in the blink of an eye.

"Show me the girl," Sasuke's father instructed.

Together, Sasuke and Mikoto cautiously entered their family room.

The girl gave them a defeated look until she saw the figure of a new male stranger. Her fear returned in a flash.

"Sweetie, this is my husband, Fugaku Uchiha," Mikoto informed her. "He's in charge of finding the one who has done this to you."

The family looked at the girl, lost, when her eyes suddenly filled to the brim and she slowly shook her head from side-to-side, crying silently. The tears left muddy streaks down her face resembling the face paintings of a mime. As they searched for something to say, Itachi made a sudden appearance, a blonde woman with a gifted chest right behind him.

The girl's terror seeped out from her.

Mikoto introduced her other son, and then Tsunade to the still silent girl.

Tsunade approached the girl with a practiced gait, and reached out to the girl, assuring her that she was a doctor and trying to help her.

"First we should get her cleaned up," Tsunade instructed the family. "We'll never be able to distinguish the difference between a bruise and a dirt spot with the way she looks now. It'll probably warm her up too." Mikoto immediately rushed off to get the hot water running; almost immediately the sound of water could be heard hastening through the pipelines in the walls.

Tsunade tried to be gentle and patient as she tried to get the girl to stand up, but the girl weakly fought back, refusing to budge from her corner.

"Excuse me gentlemen," Tsunade said, her tone firm, as Mikoto walked back into the room. "But I am going to need you to step out of the room for a moment please." Itachi and Fugaku left at once, but Sasuke lingered. "You too Sasuke," she said when she noticed him still there.

The girl began to panic all the more, and Tsunade looked at the girl in amazement for a moment. "On second thought, maybe you should stay," she corrected herself. Then she turned to Mikoto who stood anxiously by the door, already dreading what was to come next. Tsunade pushed up the sleeves of her pale green dress and tied the white apron around her waist more firmly before looking at the girl full in the face. "I'm sorry," she apologized before scooping the girl up in one swoop.

The girl fought back after her initial shock, but gave up her futile attempts after a few moments and cried resignedly as Tsunade carried her up the stairs at the end of the hall, right behind Mikoto, Sasuke tagging along behind silently.

The three women entered the bathroom silently, shutting the door behind them with a firm _click_.

Sasuke sat outside the bathroom door, making himself comfortable against the wall as he waited.


	3. Pain

**Author's Notes: **You have no idea how long I've been waiting to get this chapter up. My Internet's been screwy for the last several weeks; it's been extremely frustrating to work with. I had absolutely no internet on my regular computer where all my chapters are _stored_. Now, as I go vent my anger on an inanimate object I hope you enjoy the Second Chapter to "Rainy WindowPane." Enjoy! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

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**Chapter Two:**

**Pain**

Sasuke could hear the splashing of water, and the gentle scrubbing of cloth on flesh interlaced with his mother's soothing words. It seemed as if the girl had really given up her struggle and must be sitting in the porcelain, claw-footed tub willingly. At least, Miss Tsunade wasn't scolding her anymore.

"It's alright, sweetie," Mikoto assured the girl. "You're going to be just fine."

"Do you have a name?" Tsunade asked. There was a silent pause. "Can you not speak?"

"She hasn't said a word or made a single noise since Sasuke first brought her here," Mikoto answered quietly.

"So Sasuke was the one who found her then?"

"Yes, she was with _him_."

Another pause, and Sasuke had to strain to hear the muffled words through the closed door.

"I see," Tsunade murmured. "Well then Miss…? What will you call her then?"

A rustle of material, as if Mikoto had just shrugged her shoulders. "She'll let us know when she's ready. Right?"

No answer.

Tsunade sighed heavily. "Alright. Listen Miss, I need to examine those puncture marks you have on your neck. It might sting a little, but with a little cooperation I'll be done before you know it."

"You're not alone," Mikoto whispered to the girl comfortingly. "I can guess what you feel the best out of everyone in this house. I've had my fair share of run ins with him too." Mikoto chuckled. "Yes, your not the first one to just barely escape his grasp, and with the help of an Uchiha no less."

Sasuke could vividly imagine the look that must be on his mother's face right now. She would be smiling of course, reminiscing on how she had met Sasuke's father, but simultaneously recalling the horror and loss she had to go through first, and that would be reflected in her eyes.

"I remember it like it was yesterday," Mikoto began in her quiet, gentle voice. "The images are as bright as if someone painted them on a canvas only hours ago."

Sasuke relaxed more into the wooden paneled wall, and shut his eyes, letting the familiar story flow through his head, imagining the scenes as if he had been there when it happened.

"I was a young girl at the time, probably around your age," she continued as the splashing sounds of water started up again. "I came from a well-off family, nothing too fancy, but we did well on our own. I wasn't entirely ignorant of the outside world like most other women my age, but I wasn't prepared for the other world no one spoke of. The world that I was often told about in my childhood, but later grew to think of as scare tactics to keep children indoors after dark. I soon learned otherwise…

"I had stayed later than I had originally planned at a friend's house one summer evening. By the time we had finished talking, it was well past dark. My friend offered to call me a carriage of course, but I politely declined. It was such a wonderfully warm evening, and the stars were so bright in the heaven's that I simply couldn't refuse its calling. She frowned at first because a young lady should never walk about unaccompanied, but after I explained my reasons, she simply sighed and smiled at me. She commented on my always dreaming of something she could never quite understand, but let me go all the same.

"There was no indication. No warning. I remember nothing more than strolling peacefully down the sidewalk one minute, and the next…everything went dark. I came to at an inn the next morning. I couldn't remember how I had even arrived there, or how long I had been out for. All I could recall was piercing yellow eyes, and an intense, searing pain on my neck.

"Terrified and dazed, I somehow managed to slip out of the inn unnoticed and sneak back into my own home without getting caught. I immediately fled to my own room, and shut the door quietly behind me. I rushed to the large oval mirror over my vanity table, and had to grip the sides of it with my hands so that I didn't collapse from the sight.

"Sure enough, obscured by the dried pools of blood on my neck were identical puncture wounds. I couldn't do anything but stare at them in shock for the longest time. Vampires? A vampire had attacked me? They were nothing more than a myth! Some fabricated story told by parents to scare their children into behaving! It couldn't be true…

"I must have stood there for half an hour before the reality sank in, and I did what I had to do first. Hide the obvious signs. I drew a bath, scrubbed everything clean, including my dress with its traces of blood, and re-dressed into a frock with a high enough collar to hide the remaining evidence. I couldn't understand why I hadn't turned into a vampire myself. It made no sense, and as far as I knew I still looked and felt human enough to myself.

"So I did the next sensible thing I could think of. I sought out answers. I retraced my steps of that night, and managed to discover the inn I had fled from. When I had casually started up a conversation with the owner, he explained that I had been found unconscious on the side of the road, and that a gentleman had taken pity on me and brought me there. This man had even paid for my own private room with coin.

"Intrigued I asked the manager for the man's name so that I could thank him personally, but he hadn't left one. After taking me to my room, no one came back down. When the cleaning maid came up the next morning to check in on us, we had both vanished without a trace. He was actually very surprised to see me again, and I apologized for inconveniencing him, like any proper young lady would. Then I asked for a description so that I might be able to thank the man personally myself.

"The strange thing was that he couldn't really recall any specific details. Tall, dressed in black, shadows covered his face, was all the innkeeper could tell me. Luckily, his wife overheard our conversation and stepped in. She had been in the hallway, checking up on a travelsick guest when he carried me into the room. A gas lamp caught his figure and for a brief moment she could see him. He was tall, and broad-shouldered, with dark brown hair that nearly met his shoulders. His eyes were a piercing amber that seemed to catch the light in a way that sent shivers down her spine. His skin was as pale as milk being poured into coffee.

"The very air about him seemed to give of an all-knowing sense of self-confidence and power. He caught her stare, and darted his eyes to hers before giving her a satisfied grin that showed all of his gleaming white teeth before he entered the room without another sound. She said that smile had given her nightmares all night long, and was sorely tempted to check in on me several times during the night, but her body wouldn't cooperate with her mind."

Mikoto laughed humorously, "I know now that it was her natural instincts that kept her away. She must have been a very observant and naturally attuned human. I give her a lot of credit now, while at the time her husband merely teased her for being too tired that night to see clearly. I thanked them both profusely before taking my leave."

Mikoto sighed, "I had a start, a description, but it wasn't much to go on. I discreetly began asking around for anyone matching a similar description, but nothing turned up for weeks. So I began the next part of my research, I tried the local library. The men there were surprised at first to see a woman so interested in reading."

Sasuke heard Tsunade chuckle under her breath, and Mikoto's voice lifted into an amused smile. "But they soon became accustomed to my presence, and I was eventually ignored as much as they ignored each other. I was very careful with the books I selected. They were all on myths of the _Vampyre_ of course, and I made sure I put them back exactly were I found them when I was finished. I did not want anyone to become suspicious of my searching. Apparently, I was not as careful as I thought.

"One bright morning, after I had been buried in an ancient, dusty text for several hours, I was approached by a young gentleman. He asked what I had been so studious about the last several days, and my heart slammed into my chest. I hadn't even heard him approach me from behind. I jumped startled, the book flying out of my hands and onto the floor. He picked it up and frowned at the cover, slightly, before looking at me with curious, but guarded eyes.

"He asked why a young lady would be interested in such a subject, and I answered back with 'I have a personal interest in it.' He must have noticed the involuntary gesture I made of bringing my hand up to my neck to massage the area where I had been bitten. I did it so often then that no one else seemed to see it anymore. But with one deft movement, he brushed aside the lace collar enough to see the evidence for himself…

"It was a tense moment, one that seemed to last for an eternity. My heart was racing, my face flushing, and my mind whirling. What was I going to do now? But he made no comment. He simply introduced himself as Fugaku Uchiha, and that it would be an honor to escort me to lunch.

Mikoto's light laugh filtered through the wooden doorway, causing Sasuke to smile in the slightest. It was always good to hear his Mother's laughter; it seemed to come less and less these days.

"I was so shocked," she continued. "I didn't know what to say. I simply nodded my head and followed him out. It wasn't until we were in a private corner of a secluded inn that I was brought back to the reality of the situation." Her voice sank ever so slightly.

"Again, Fugaku introduced himself, but than he continued by stating that he had been searching for victims such as myself for some time, and asked if I could help him. I hadn't really thought of myself as a 'victim' until that moment, nor in my wildest dreams did I imagine anyone would be asking for my story and believe it to be true. But he did. I related everything that I knew to him, and he simply sat there calmly and quietly, listening intently to every word that came from my mouth.

"He surprised me once more, by asking how much I knew about vampires; how much I had learned. I admitted that I didn't know much beyond that they couldn't come out during the day, and were prone to crosses and silver."

Sasuke winced internally at a memory of a vampire he had heard once that had come into contact with one; something he never wanted to experience for himself.

"He didn't answer me then. Simply studied me for a moment, before agreeing to help me. At the time, Fugaku was still new to the Protection Circle, the underground police force, but he was as sharp as they come, and was quickly moving through the ranks. He was assigned to protect me by the Council, the underground leaders, coming to call nearly every day. My family assumed I had finally begun to choose a suitor. I let them believe what they wanted; I wasn't too far from wishing it myself.

"The more time I spent with him, the more I didn't want to part. And yet the longer we were together, the more I noticed about him. He was different; in ways that most humans were not. I confronted him on it one night, half-terrified to find out the truth, but I had already come to the conclusion that I was falling in love with him and I would accept the truth unfaltering. Reluctantly he confirmed my suspicions. He too was a vampire. Despite my assurances to myself, I became angry and then scared…. I ran.

Mikoto's tone became bleak. "It was one of the dumbest things I have ever done. It had been twilight, and night began falling fast. I couldn't see for the tears in my eyes, as I ran blindly through the streets. I came to a sudden stop when I ran into a solid figure. I bounced off, but the figure caught me before I had fallen more than a few inches. I opened my eyes in shock to come face to face with the one person I had never truly met.

_Him…_."

Sasuke felt his muscles tense reflexively. '_His_' name wasn't said too often under this roof, although it was never far from anyone's mind. The name had caused too much turmoil in his world to think about, but no one had been able to get a hold of him. At least, not yet, as far as Sasuke and his family were concerned.

"…Enkai Arashi," the name came out as a harsh whisper. "You can guess what happened next…. Fugaku found me several hours later. Fresh blood trailing down my neck and soaking the fabrics of my dress; I was an absolute mess and terrified out of my mind. That time I would remember the piercing; I was more than awake during it than I had ever been. It's not something that's easy to forget is it?" The question directed at the girl in empathy.

No answer was made, but something seemed to connect, as the scent of salty tears invaded Sasuke's senses. He opened his eyes momentarily, staring at the wood paneling in front of him in anger and frustration. It was at times like this that Sasuke marveled at the strength of his mother. When he was younger, he had often wondered if his mother truly wanted him and his brother when they reached this part of her story. She seemed to reject it all, but the conclusion never ceased to surprise him. He always had to listen to the conclusion, to reassure that little voice of his younger self.

Mikoto breathed in deeply to calm herself, as the sound of dripping water filled through the air, water sloshing around in the tub, and the soft whoosh of fabric being unfolded.

"Fugaku made a sudden decision that night. He hid me away from my family, friends, and _him_. No one knew where I was apart from a few trusted members of the Council. After many intense discussions with them, he came to me one night, unsure of himself for the first time since I had met him. That's probably what caught my attention and first brought me out of the stupor I had been in since the second bite."

"You see, Miss," Tsunade interjected for the girl. "It is not until the third bite that a human becomes a vampire, and only through an infusion of blood on that third time are the two connected for life. However long they both shall live at least, be it an eternity or not. Of course, the two become solely dependent on the blood of the other to survive, and when one goes, so goes the other. It kind of brings a new spin on 'til death do us part,' doesn't it?" Sasuke could picture the large grin on the blonde doctor's face.

"And that is what Fugaku offered me," Mikoto continued. She paused. "Oh yes, I still loved him, despite the fact that he was a vampire himself. That didn't change for me," she answered the unasked question. "I ran out of blind fear, but I have never regretted my decision to mate-ship since. Later we heard that _he _was furious, when we came back out into the open. I returned to my family several nights later to explain my absence, telling them that I had chosen to elope with Fugaku. They were not as shocked as I thought they would be, and only gave me well wishes in return.

"My parents were able to witness the birth of my first son, Itachi before the 'accident...' The entire home burst into flames one night, engulfing everyone inside. No one made it out alive. The firemen say it was a gas lamp that was too close to the curtains, but I've never been able to rest with that conclusion. Poor Sasuke was never able to meet his grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins, I wish he could have."

Sasuke felt his face flush in embarrassment. He couldn't really miss his mother's family since he had never met them, but he couldn't say that he wasn't curious about them. Nor the manner in which they had died for that matter.

There was a halt in the conversation as the sound of more material moving about filled the air. Sasuke heard his mother 'tsk-'ing away again.

"We're going to get you back up to your proper weight in no time, I promise you that," she said gently. "Until then, we'll just tie everything a little tighter."

"There, now you look human again," Tsunade said a grin evident in her tone.

"You can open your eyes," Mikoto encouraged the girl. There was a silent moment before she let out in a soft whisper, "You look absolutely beautiful."

The door handle to the bathroom turned silently and Sasuke was up in the blink of an eye, heading back down the hallway and stairs, knowing without looking that the three were right behind him. He paused at the doorway leading into the family room where his father and brother were still waiting, glancing at his mother once before going any further. Sensing his look she smiled warmly at him, assuring him that she was all right before they entered the cozy room.

The warm glow of the room seemed intensified after the dark of the hallway, but Sasuke noticed that his father and Itachi hadn't been sitting idle. There wasn't a single mark of dirt left on any surface from where the girl had been earlier. It looked as clean and proper as always.

Tsunade motioned for Fugaku and Itachi to follow her into the kitchen, and they followed her silently, sparing only a glance at the girl before leaving.

Sasuke decided to stay in the room with his mother, knowing he'd hear everything later.

Mikoto had directed the girl back to the couch and was gingerly combing through the girl's damp hair, completely at ease in her element as a Mother. The girl herself was clinging to the folds of Mikoto's dress almost desperately with one hand, as if she were her last lifeline.

Sasuke looked at the girl and then stared in amazement.

He could finally see her soft pink hair, free of all the muck that had collected in it, and her porcelain skin looked so fair now that the ingrained smudges of dirt were gone. He noted, without conscious thought, that if she were her proper weight, she truly would be beautiful. For now, she still looked like the merest breath of wind would carry her away.

The girl opened her eyes, almost as if she could hear the thoughts running through his head, and locked him in her stunning emerald gaze. Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat of its own accord, and that foreign pull, tugging him toward her once more.

She had slipped an impassive mask over her features, and he couldn't fully comprehend the swirl of emotions racing behind her eyes. Nevertheless, the two didn't break eye contact until her eyelids began to droop from the soothing, repetitive motions of her hair being brushed.

She fought her weariness for a long time, but the close proximity between her and Mikoto brought back memories of a happier time. The feelings that surfaced along with her memories lulled her into an exhausted sleep, not contently, but as if she did not care anymore. She was clean, warm, and felt no immediate threat to her well being; if they decided to kill her later, she would rather it be now when she was in a relative peace.

Sasuke blinked when the girl's head rolled onto her shoulder. Mikoto caught her deftly and gently laid her down on the sofa, Sasuke watching in fascination.

Mikoto silently left the room for a moment, leaving Sasuke with the girl's light breathing as it mingled amongst the sounds of fire crackling, clock ticking, and the soft murmur of the voices conversing in the other room.

Sasuke's mother returned quickly, a light rose designed coverlet spilling out of her arms. The voices ceased as Tsunade joined them in the room, Fugaku and Itachi right behind her.

The four watched in silence as Mikoto draped the warm cover over the thin, silent girl. She brushed a few stray pieces of rosette hair out of the girl's face before murmuring so softly, only their ears could hear.

"So…what do we do now?"

Tsunade sighed to herself quietly. "She needs protection, and we need information."

"We would be honored to watch over her," Mikoto answered, not once looking up from this new stranger who had entered her family's life.

Tsunade looked at Fugaku for confirmation. He nodded once, firmly and without hesitation.

"All right," Tsunade agreed. "I will be back to check on her tomorrow morning."

Sasuke stiffened visibly, but it went unnoted by the rest of the occupants of the room, even as Tsunade raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"Until then, she should be watched throughout the night. Inform me immediately if there are any drastic changes in her condition." Tsunade looked at the girl with her pitying honey colored eyes. "She's been through more than most people will experience in a lifetime, even us."

The girl seemed to tense in her sleep, her brows furrowing slightly, as if she had heard them speaking about her.

Mikoto automatically sat on the edge of the couch near the girl's head and began stroking her fingers through her pale rosy hair once more, and absently began to hum a lullaby.

"I'll escort you home," Fugaku stated, his eyes never quite leaving his wife.

Tsunade relented and the two left without a sound.

Itachi was not too far behind them; he had his own home to be getting back to.

The lullaby continued until the girl's features relaxed into a deep, exhausted sleep.

Sasuke watched his mother in wonderment and awe, as the minutes ticked by.

He too eventually drifted off to sleep in the armchair next to the fire, curling up against its back in a most undignified fashion for a young man, both legs hanging over the armrest.

Mikoto looked up at his sleeping form and a gentle smile graced her face. She vividly recalled a time when he had once been so small that he could curl up on that very chair like a cat taking its nap. She couldn't believe how much time had passed since then; it was too fast, but she never regretted a single moment of it. She loved her life more than words could ever express.

Her eyes traveled back to the girl next to her. _Who are you? What happened to you? _

Mikoto's midnight gaze, so reminiscent in that of her sons, lit upon the family portrait that hung above the dimming glow from the fire. _What is going to happen now?_


	4. Touch

**Author's Notes:** Hey hi there! It has been entirely too long since I last wrote. But the end of the year always signals birthdays, graduations, finals, and innumerable business. I apologize for the wait; I have wanted to write as anxiously as you have wanted to read. So without further ado, Chapter Three! Enjoy! See you at the next update; I in turn am going to start writing the next chapter! Until then!

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**Chapter Three:**

**Touch**

The girl jolted awake the next morning as if someone had struck her with lightening, the rose covered coverlet falling to the side in a heap. Her wide green eyes flashed around the room in fear and uncertainty. Wildly searching for something she couldn't find.

Sasuke, who had been instructed to watch and wait for her to awaken, was in front of her in an instant, and she jumped, startled. Her muscles tensed in reflex, and she made a movement to dash off the couch and rush for the open doorway.

Without a second thought Sasuke placed his hands gently, but firmly on her shoulders to keep her on the couch. "You shouldn't be getting up just yet," he scolded her a bit harshly. "You still need to rest."

She froze into absolute stillness, hardly daring to breathe as she stared at Sasuke with an incomprehensible look written all over her face.

Sasuke looked at her in alarm, afraid she was going to faint, as his mother entered, Tsunade right behind her. They had heard the commotion, and knew the girl must have finally woken up.

The two halted in their steps as they viewed the scene before them. The girl stared up at Sasuke with an ever-increasing look of loss and lack of color, as he in return looked at her in a rising panic.

"What's going on?" Mikoto asked, becoming slightly alarmed herself.

"I just tried to keep her from getting up," Sasuke stuttered, still unsure of what to do or what was going on.

Tsunade observed with increasing pity and disgust, as the dots connected each other in her head. "Sasuke," she advised gravelly. "Very slowly remove your hands."

He looked at her questioningly, baffled.

"I think she may have been _touched_ before," Tsunade answered the unasked question. She watched as the girl paled considerably, which she noted with a sympathetic eye. "Maybe more than once."

Sasuke jerked his hands away as if the mute girl had scalded him, his stomach rolling with nausea and anger.

The girl's face drastically changed to complete surprise, only to be replaced with a wary curiosity. She hurriedly snatched the coverlet from the ground and enshrouded herself within it as if it would defend her from anything the world could throw at her next.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said quickly and quietly, making to leave the room immediately.

The girl made an involuntary reaction that stunned even her.

Mikoto caught her son's arm gently. "Don't leave just yet Sasuke."

He looked at his mother in confusion before she pointedly looked back at the girl. Sasuke understood without her having to say another word. He wheeled right back around and plopped himself in the same corner the girl had occupied the night before. He shut his eyes and rested his head against the wall, wondering what on Earth he was doing.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open when he felt a butterfly touch on his left cheek. He met emerald pools gazing at him in concern, and barely concealed panic.

The room was absolutely silent.

She clutched the blanket around her thin frame; it was still not enough to hide her frailty. She attempted an encouraging, apologetic smile even as her breathing became uneven. Slowly he returned it before her body began to shake, and her knees buckled underneath her. Reacting on instinct he caught her, alarmed.

Mikoto was at his side in an instant along with Tsunade. Together they eased the girl out of Sasuke's grasp and settled her back onto the couch once more. Tsunade checked her pulse before breathing a sigh of relief.

Fugaku entered at that moment and looked about the room at their various range of expressions, puzzled. "What happened?"

"She's just too physically weak right now," Tsunade began. "And her emotional state isn't…settled, to put it lightly."

Sasuke continued to stare at the unconscious girl, incredulous but wondering. "Why her?"

Three pairs of eyes darted to him.

"If she's like this already," Sasuke explained. "Why would he go after her? Going after her blood the way she is right now would kill her. The Council wouldn't let that slide by this time."

"Good question," Tsunade murmured. "Have you found out _who_ she is yet?" She looked at Fugaku.

He shook his head. "No. All the reports of missing women do not completely match her profile, or her description."

Tsunade frowned in concentration. "Try looking back further."

"How long? Five years?"

Tsunade nodded slowly. "Look back as far as you can. She might have first been caught when she was _very_ young."

Mikoto's face darkened briefly. "What makes you think that? She can't be much older than Sasuke."

"Her puncture wounds," Tsunade clarified. "The first were made nearly a decade ago, the second were about half that time." She sighed, frustrated. "It would help to know her actual age right now."

Mikoto paled, memories playing like a wheel through her head, as she rested a shaky hand on the girl. "I couldn't imagine…that young," she whispered.

Fugaku's eyes flashed crimson before laying a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. "We'll get him," he promised.

Sasuke nodded determinedly, his lips pressing into a thin line. There was no doubt in his mind what they were going to do to _him_ once they had their hands on him too.

--

It was several hours later that the girl stirred. She opened her eyes blearily, not recognizing anything around her for a moment as a mild panic began to erupt in the pit of her stomach. As her eyes cleared, her heart ceased to pound in her chest as the increasingly familiar family portrait stared down at her. She saw the briefest of movements out of the corner of her eye to see the youngest of the Uchiha family stand up.

Her heart thudded in her chest when he rose out of the armchair, watching her, but the moment his feet touched the floor he ignored her and walked out of the room.

She sat there in a panic for a moment, unsure of what to do. Soon, however, the doorway was filled with the graceful figure of the young gentleman's mother, her navy blue dress with its black lace trim accenting her features exquisitely.

"So you've awakened at last," she said, her features bright. "Welcome back. You scared us when you collapsed like that." Mikoto smiled, offering the girl a tray of easy to eat foods, in small proportions. "Here," she said setting the meal on the table. "You need to eat and keep your strength up."

The girl's eyes lingered on the food for a moment, before they shyly traveled to the open doorway. Puzzled, Mikoto's gaze followed suit before a knowing smile lit up her face. "Don't worry," she assured the girl, "He'll be back."

The rosette-haired young woman tensed visibly and darted her eyes back to Mikoto's face, wondering if this woman could read minds.

"He's just freshening up, sweetie. He hasn't left this room since last night you know." The girl's downcast eyes strummed the young vampire's mother's heart, prompting her to lay a gentle touch on the girl's shoulder. Mikoto waited until the silent girl met her gaze, smiling comfortingly. "You're safe here. No one under this roof will ever lay a hand on you like before, I promise you that." She let her hand fall away. "I'll leave you to eat in peace," she said quietly before leaving the room in her calm pace, the swish of her dress the only sound marking her departure.

Silence.

The girl listened to the clock ticking on the mantle. The fire's logs shifted for a brief moment, distracting her, and she realized with the slightest of jolts that it must have been left burning for her sake. She wasn't entirely sure how she should feel about that.

Eventually her gaze traveled to the window with its partially shut curtains; all she could see outside was a dim gray, as a distant rumble from the sky reached her ears.

She breathed a silent sigh of relief, and relaxed a fraction into her seat, finally resting her sight on the tray in front of her. The intoxicating smells drifting from it had had her mouth salivating the moment Mikoto had walked into the room, but she had refrained from letting it show on her face. She never could trust what was put into her food before.

_No one under this roof will ever lay a hand on you like before, I promise you that._ She thought about the comment. She had heard that promise before; it never ended well, but for the time it lasted she had shared the best moments of her life.

The silent girl reached out tentatively with a shaking hand and brought a warm, freshly buttered piece of toast to her lips. The taste that raced across her taste buds nearly made her loose her restraint of stuffing everything into her mouth as fast as she could right then and there, but she was unwilling to not savor every last mouthful and thus took her time.

As nourishment flooded through her system, she heard the soft pitter-patter of rain begin to fall on the window, and a faint smile graced her face. It wasn't exactly a happy smile, but it was something she hadn't felt on her face in ages.

The rain was a comfort. Reassurance. Protection.

It would clean everything until the world sparkled fresh and new. She felt safest when it was raining.

When it rained, it dulled their sense of smell. She became invisible. Safe.

As long as she stayed out of sight, it would be exceedingly hard to locate her. The traces of her scent would vanish. _He_ wouldn't be able to find her quite so easily. At least she hoped so.

Her eyes appraised the family portrait in front of her once more. _He_ obviously recognized the young man who had saved her, and was well acquainted with his whole family.

This would be a balancing act.

These people wanted to be rid of _him_ as much as she did, and yet this meant that _he_ was well aware of their intentions and possibly where they were. It didn't help matters that the last time _he_ had seen her, she had been with the young man.

She was in the safest and most potentially dangerous house she could ever be in.

Protection that needed protection. Interesting.

So what came next? To stay or not? If she left now when no one was watching her it would be all too easy to slip out into the rain and disappear once more. But…

Could she really leave this place?

Against her better judgment she had begun to become attached to the young man, what was his name?

_Sasuke_, her mind answered for her. Right, Sasuke, and his mother was…_Mikoto_.

She had started to become attached to Mikoto, although warily. And her son…where to even start with him?

He came out of nowhere, and saved her from a fate worse than death. Unknowingly, sure, but when her body finally betrayed her will he hadn't left her there. Quite the contrary, he had picked her up and carried her to his home; he had touched her, several times, and left her alone. No more contact than was necessary to help her.

And his eyes…his demeanor…something, something was pulling her to him. She couldn't begin to imagine just what it was, but her reactions to him were not normal. She had learned to shy away from every person that had ever entered her field of vision, but for how much longer could she survive like she had?

She had been fighting a losing battle. Refusing any help that had been offered her way, knowing that not all were who they pretended to be on the outside.

However, this family had not hid anything from her. They didn't disguise who or what they were, and granted her the space she wanted when she needed it, and then gave her the close proximity her very being craved even as she tried to run from it.

Maybe…maybe she would stick around just a little longer.

Yes, she was taking a risk. A huge one, one that was perhaps larger than any she had ever made in her life before.

And with an entire houseful of vampires, all of whom were intent on keeping a close eye on her would make any later escape attempts that much more difficult. Especially if they became attuned to her presence from prolonged contact.

But she knew something about them that they didn't know.

She knew any vampires closely guarded secret.

A weakness.

She knew how to make them human.


	5. Sleep

**Author's Notes: **Well, it hasn't been near as long as last time, correct? I feel rather good about that actually. I also know that I will probably not try and do two fanfics at once again, because it's too hard to try and concentrate on both at the same time. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the next chapter. It lacks luster in the action department, but was necessary to set up something important later. Enjoy! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed. Until Next Time!

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**Chapter Four:**

**Sleep**

She had finished her meal fairly quickly, there hadn't been much to start with as her body couldn't handle it all at once, but her stomach felt more content than it had in weeks. She relaxed against the cushions behind her, and just enjoyed the relative peace, listening to the gentle fall of rain just on the other side of the glass across the room, and the rippling patterns it made across the surface.

So relaxed was she that it took her a moment to realize she wasn't alone anymore. She shot up from the sofa with a jolt when she saw the tall dark figure standing in the doorway. Her heart hammered in her chest until she recognized the profile as the young man who had watched over her this entire time.

He in turn looked at the empty tray in front of her. "Have you had enough?" He asked to break the silence.

After a moment she nodded in the affirmative.

His brow furrowed in curiosity. "Can you speak at all?"

The girl let her gaze fall to her hands that were clenching together out of nerves, before sliding back over to the glistening window.

He sighed in agitation. "My mother requested for you to come find her when you were finished eating. She's in the kitchen."

The girl tore her gaze away to meet his half-turned back. "Come on, I'll show you the way," he indicated that she should follow.

Tentatively, the silent girl unfolded herself from her personal sanctuary of the rosette coverlet and stood on thin, shaky legs. After steadying herself she timidly followed the dark head of hair at a distance. He discreetly kept an eye on her the entire way, not quite able to keep from taking in all of her features.

Her straight, pale rose-colored hair flowed to her waist, as her deep, innocent sea green eyes darted around taking in every insignificant detail of his home. Her limbs were thin from malnourishment, her waist wasn't much bigger, his mother had had to tie the pale pink sash circling the cream colored dress into a long trailing ribbon. Sasuke noted that she walked slightly hunched over, her arms holding her together as if the merest threat of a breeze would whisk her away.

They had turned left from the parlor, and as they traversed down the hallway she in turn took in every feature of her surroundings, missing nothing from the dark wooden paneled floors to the pale mint colored walls with its various paintings of ocean fronts and family portraits. They passed the first doorway and instead entered the second one, which lead right into the kitchen.

Entering into the soft yellow, inviting room the girl immediately took a liking to the place. In front of her, and a little to her left was the sink set into the middle of a generous countertop, in the shape of an "L." Directly in front of the sink was a large window, the curtains pulled apart to let in what little light there was, as lamps burned brightly straight above.

Standing at the sink was Mikoto, her long sleeves pushed up halfway to her elbows as she merrily set about preparing the evening meal, one that could be left alone for hours with no harm as it simmered away. The aromas seeping into the air nearly had the girl's stomach aching to be filled again, but she reined it in by reminding herself that she had just eaten.

At the sound of their entrance Mikoto half-turned to give the pair of them a warm open smile. "Finished already?" she asked the silent young woman kindly.

The girl's face flushed in the slightest, and Mikoto smiled a bit wider. She turned the faucet on, rinsed off her hands and dried them on her light colored apron. With years of practice she unknotted the strings and hung it up on a peg on the wall to her left, amongst the various pots and pans hanging there.

"Sasuke? Do you think you could continue for me? I'm going to show her the upper floor," Mikoto asked as Sasuke took over his mother's place.

From what the girl could see, this was a usual occurrence, as the boy seemed nearly at ease in the kitchen as his mother.

Mikoto gently grasped the girl's elbow and guided her back out of the room and into the cool, lantern-lit hallway. They turned right and headed for the back where a set of stairs, again lit by lamps, led up into partial darkness. The soft maroon carpet softened their footsteps on the wooden staircase, and hallway of the second floor as they ascended.

As they reached the top, the room at the furthest end of the hallway, the bathroom, caught the girl's attention. She vividly remembered the first and only time she had entered it with mixed feelings, even now she wasn't sure what her dominant feeling was with so many things racing through her head.

Mikoto caught the girl's stare. "I apologize for the way we handled you last night," she spoke softly into the quiet.

The intriguing green eyes of the silent girl met the eyes of the young-looking mother, in an unspoken forgiveness. Mikoto could nearly read the words_ It's all right. You did what you had to,_ across the girl's face. Sasuke's mother smiled in reassurance, and stopped just outside the first door on the left.

She twisted the doorknob and opened the door wide enough for her young guest to peer inside. The girl squinted into the semi-darkness; she couldn't make out much beyond the vague impression of a bed directly in front of her and against the wall, with two tightly shut and covered windows on either side of it.

"This is Sasuke's room," Mikoto supplied for the unasked question. "He likes his privacy and the darkness so those curtains rarely come off the windows. It's a shame really; he has such a nice view of the outside." She sighed softly and glanced at them almost wistfully, something that didn't go unnoticed by the girl.

Mikoto moved to shut the door and the girl swiftly moved aside. Sasuke's mother immediately turned to the door a little further down the hall and directly on the right. She opened the door into a smaller room, semi-transparent white curtains filtering in the gray lighting of the rainy sky outside. There was a bed against the far right wall, parallel to the one window. The furniture was sparse, nothing more than a carpet, bedside table with a lamp, and a dresser.

"This is the guest room," Mikoto answered once again, "It's in the midst of re-decoration at the moment. It is something I work on when I have nothing else to attend to, so it is slow going."

The girl nodded unconsciously, accepting the answer without really listening to it.

Mikoto shut the door. They walked further down the dim hallway. She nodded to the closed door on her right, "That is Fugaku's and my room, and this," she said as she opened the door immediately opposite it, "is Itachi's old room, your room for the duration of your stay with us. We can't have you sleeping on our sofa all the time now can we?"

Mikoto opened the door inward and the girl stepped into the doorway, following her. Sasuke's mother moved over to the double windows that took up nearly the entire right wall, opening the curtains wide to let in as much light as possible from the outside.

The same color bed that stood in front of the girl, against the wall opposite her, accented the room's light red walls. On the bed's left was a wooden nightstand and lamp, a dresser taking up the remaining room on the left wall, and on the bed's right was a white, comfortable armchair positioned perfectly in front of the window next to it for reading. A deep mahogany vanity and mirror rested against the fourth wall completing the room.

The silent girl could only stare in what would have been speechless-ness judging from the look on her face had she been speaking. Mikoto caught it and smiled. "Since Itachi moved out and into his own home with his life-partner some time ago, we have left this room as it was for the most part. I added a few more details of my own to spruce it up a bit, but as the guest room is out of order for the moment, would this be enough for you?" She watched the girl closely.

The girl in turn slowly turned in a circle, taking in all the intimate details before finally resting her gaze on Mikoto. _Thank you_, her face seemed to read, with an intensity the young woman probably didn't realize she was using she was so overcome.

"I'm glad," Mikoto smiled back. "Now how about we relieve Sasuke of kitchen duty?" She held out her hand in offering, and was surprised when the girl shakily slid her small pale hand into hers that she nearly dropped her own hand away. The vampire mother nearly glowed with warmth, as she took a firmer grasp of the other girl's hand and led her back down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Mikoto's reaction to the girl's physical contact was nothing compared to when they re-entered the kitchen and Sasuke glanced over. He seemed not to have noticed at first, but then he halted in mid-cut, and did a double take. The overwhelming smile that graced his mother's face was the only thing that kept him from commenting, as he silently returned to his work.

Mikoto led the rosette-haired young woman over to where she had last left her apron, letting go of the girl's hand to don it once more. Then she pulled off the one behind it, one that was nearly identical but for the lace trimming along the top and bottom, and handed it to the girl next to her.

"Thank you Sasuke, we can take it from here," Mikoto thanked her son as she went to wash her hands again and continue where she had left off. The girl followed suit, as Sasuke did the same.

The silent girl tensed slightly at their close proximity, but determinedly continued to wash her hands trying to appear aloof. However the constant flicker of her eyes at him spoiled the look. Sasuke sighed silently and left to dry his hands, noting the slight relax in her posture as he moved away.

Faintly irritated for some reason unknown to himself, Sasuke turned abruptly and exited the kitchen calling over his shoulder, "I'm going out."

"Out?" His mother questioned, puzzled and a bit hurt at his tone. "In this weather? Where are you going?"

Sasuke halted in the doorframe, shamed by the hurt in his mother's voice. He schooled his own voice before answering, "I think I'll go visit Naruto, I haven't seen him in awhile."

Mikoto nodded, understanding. "Good. You be sure to tell him and his family we send our regards."

"I will," Sasuke replied. "And I'll be back before supper."

Mikoto smiled. "The weather does not look like it is going to change anytime before then, so I shall see you when you return."

Sasuke nodded once before departing, the sound of the front door closing softly followed the instant he was out of sight.

Mikoto looked at the expression on the girl's face, setting her to stirring a pot on the stove before speaking. "It's not really your fault, dear."

The girl jumped, startled that this woman and vampire was beginning to read her so easily.

"Sasuke has been hell bent on finding Enkai Arashi since he was old enough to discover who he was and what he did to me," Mikoto's tone saddened slightly. "Fugaku has never stopped searching, but he was searching even before he met me so that was easier to accept. Then Itachi followed right into the footsteps of his father, but I still had Sasuke at home so I was able to distract myself. But now Sasuke seems even more determined than his father and brother combined."

She sighed. "It has been so quiet around here lately, both day and night. And between you and me," Mikoto glanced at the girl. "It has been getting rather lonely too. I'll admit that your presence at first made me worry that their fervor would only increase, but it's nice to have someone around, especially another woman." She smiled at the girl full-heartedly.

Mikoto continued to chop at the vegetables before her. "I know at the end of the day and night, Fugaku will come back no matter what. Itachi finally found the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with, and that makes me exceedingly happy too. But Sasuke…" she sighed again. "If it weren't for Naruto and the rest of his friends, I'm sure he would remain isolated for the rest of his life. If he wasn't holed up inside the house, he would be out alone searching out Enkai and how to bring him down." Mikoto closed her eyes briefly. "I think your situation has reminded him of what he set out to do in the first place.

"He finally has a key piece to the puzzle, and he knows absolutely nothing about you. Your not being able to speak adds to the complication, I'm sure, and since I will assume you cannot write?" The girl nodded, embarrassed, Mikoto nodded. "You cannot write out the answers to what everyone wishes to ask."

Mikoto studied the girl for a moment, until she began to fidget. "Yes," Mikoto nodded to herself, "I think I should teach you penmanship while you are here. Can you read?"

The silent girl lifted her shoulder slightly before lowering it again.

"Only a little?"

The rosette-head nodded.

Mikoto nodded to herself again. "And we shall work on that too. Would that be alright?"

Another nod.

"Good, we shall begin as soon as we're done here. It will make the rest of the day pass quickly." And Sasuke's mother was back to easing into her element like no one else could.

--

As the day went on, the gentle rain outside the window fell increasingly harder until a full-blown storm was gearing itself up. What gray light there was faded into darkness as the evening stretched on. Trying to keep her new guest on a regular, proper meal schedule, Mikoto served their evening supper for just the two of them, as the hours grew longer. With a wink she explained that the men could eat on their own when they returned. She used the meal as an excuse to ensure that the girl was eating everything that was put on her plate. Satisfied, the meal went on pleasantly and the two cleaned up when they were done.

After eating Mikoto insisted that the girl use the washroom and clean herself up, pulling out an old pale violet nightgown and setting it out to use for when the girl was done.

The warm water felt like bliss after a relatively wonderful day. The girl hadn't been able to recall this feeling before, not in years. Almost guiltily she spent a little extra time in the pristine white porcelain tub before drying off and slipping on the cotton gown.

Her hair dripping, she stepped out of the bathroom to hear voices wandering up from down the stairs. Silent as a whisper she slipped down the stairs, hugging the wall, listening intently.

"-There hasn't been anything to find," came a male voice, _Fugaku_, her mind supplied for her.

"So there's no record of her anywhere," another voice, female this time added to the discussion. _Ms. Tsunade_, the little voice supplied once more.

"It's not that there isn't any records of her, but that we cannot find any. If she could only tell us who she is, it would be simple," Fugaku answered.

A soft sigh entered the girl's hearing. "Nothing seems to be simple anymore," Mikoto's voice filled in the silence.

The girl bit her lip. _They're talking about me, _she realized. But she couldn't speak. _Not now. Not ever. _

A blast of cool wind whistled through the hallway and fluttered the girl's dress as another presence entered the house.

"I'm home," Sasuke's voice rang out from the entryway, carrying through to the rest of the house.

Timidly the girl crept down the rest of the staircase and stood in the shadowed end of the hall. She watched a lean silhouette fill the doorway of the kitchen as Mikoto peeked out to locate the sound of the voice, at the same moment Sasuke was nearly in front of her, dripping wet, his clothes nearly plastered to his skin.

"You didn't take an umbrella?" Mikoto's voice was caught between amusement and exasperation.

Her son shrugged without a comment.

The fast vampiric movement caught the girl off guard, and her statuette position started back in reflex. Her motion captured the eyes of the mother and son pair, their eyes flashing red and narrowing ever so slightly.

Mikoto was the first to react. "What are you doing over there in the dark?!" She smiled gently and walked slowly over to the girl, her eyes as dark as always. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." She held her hand out for the girl, and waited for her to grasp it. "It's getting late. Let's get you up to bed."

It took a moment for her heart to restart, but timidly she grasped Mikoto's had for the second time that day.

The girl knew she was being treated a bit like a child, but for the moment it was absolutely wonderful to have someone worry over her. She squeezed Mikoto's hand ever so slightly, and the mother's smile softened as she drew the frail girl closer to her in a semi-embrace as they walked up the stairs together.

"And you need to change out of those wet clothes and dry off," Mikoto called over her shoulder.

Discreetly, Sasuke rolled his eyes, but there was only amusement in his gaze as he walked a few steps behind them.

As the girl walked with Mikoto to her temporary room, she heard Sasuke's door open and shut tightly with the faintest of clicks. She turned to look over her shoulder, but he had been too quick.

Mikoto's hand gently squeezed the girl's shoulder, her arm draped across her back as they opened up the old bedroom. Once more, the girl wondered if Mikoto could read her mind, but in the next second Mikoto was gone in a flash and already lighting the lamps before the girl could blink. She stood there, transfixed for a moment her heart pounding, before she forced herself to relax and sit herself down on top of the bedspread. Mikoto was there in an instant was a comb in hand.

"Face the windows please," was all she asked as the girl turned and let Mikoto brush through her hair. The soothing motions once more lulling her into happier memories, as the rain continued to rage outside.

"All done." Mikoto's soft voice came all too soon, and the girl reluctantly struggled over to the edge of the covers that Mikoto held wide for her. As she slid between the covers, Sasuke appeared in the doorway, freshly changed and rubbing a towel through his still damp hair.

He watched as this strange pale girl curled up in his brother's old bed as if she were unable to believe her eyes. Her head rested on the pillow that seemed to be the softest thing in the world to her, as she drew the blankets around her body tightly reveling in the warmth and security.

The faintest of smiles graced his face as he watched this girl who was nearly a woman, act like a child in a bed of her own for the first time.

_Maybe it is the first time_, he thought with a jolt.

His mother ran her fingers through the girl's hair methodically until the girl fell asleep, her face nearly angelic in its peace.

Mikoto turned down all the lamps and walked out of the girl's room as silent as whisper. She stopped before her son and studied him for a moment before embracing him tightly, and then guiding him from the room as she shut the door without a sound.

The instant the door closed, the girl's eyes shot open. She laid there in the dark listening to the sound of the rain falling against glass, thunder interrupting sporadically. Slowly, she sat up in the bed, clutching the covers around her as alert as ever.

Over the noise of the storm she strained to hear the sounds from the family who lived in this home. She knew it was long shot, as vampires can be as loud or as quiet as they wish to be, but she had an upper hand. Their kind hadn't surrounded her so long for nothing. As long as she kept her guard up, her own senses would try to catch anything.

Minutes passed as she sat absolutely still, her eyes focused on her wooden door as if it were the most interesting thing in the world to her. Sure enough, she was rewarded moments later when the sound of something falling combined with a muffled curse came from her right.

_He's in his room,_ she thought with detached amusement wondering idly at what had been knocked over.

A little while later, Fugaku and Mikoto's hushed voices came up the stairs before disappearing behind their door.

She sighed. Now came the wait.

She let her eyes drift around the room, taking in all of its features when lightening happened to light up her room for brief flashes of time.

Eventually she crawled out of the warmth of her bed, and huddled herself up on the comfy chair by the windows. She wrapped her arms around her and was content to watch the storm rage on, as the hours passed, not even a hint of sleep hanging about her features.

The storm eventually tired itself out at the wee hours of the morning, but the rain continued on with the increasingly lightening sky.

Dawn was coming.

The quiet girl was still sitting, transfixed by the weather when her door opened a couple of hours after dawn. She had heard various household members get up, of course, but hadn't budged a single inch. When her door opened, her heart sped up a little out of familiar habit, but she did not so much as twitch at the sound of light footsteps hitting the wooden floor on their way to her.

"My mother sent me to check in on you," Sasuke's quiet voice broke into her tranquility. "We weren't sure if you were up yet…" He trailed off waiting for her response, and wondering just what was so interesting outside.

He flashed a glance out the window, but all he could see was the side yard, with its tall trees ensuring privacy from any nosy neighbors, and the dark gray sky pouring out its rain.

He looked back at her entranced face, puzzled, until she slowly seemed to come out of her trance and nod slightly.

"She's downstairs making something for us to eat," he continued a bit unsettled and unsure of himself. He was never entirely sure how to act around this girl.

It still took some time, but she nodded once again in the same unhurried way.

Now Sasuke was beginning to feel that awkward silence when one feels that they should be saying something, but cannot think of anything to say, so the silence drags on and feels even more awkward. He fidgeted slightly.

The sea glass eyes missed nothing, and she finally turned to meet his dark midnight ones.

Sasuke stood transfixed by the eye contact for a moment before his brain registered how to speak again. "If you're hungry, she said that there are clothes in the dresser for you. After you're dressed your breakfast will be waiting for you."

She watched him back with a steady gaze, until Sasuke was beginning to feel like she could see right through him.

"Do you…" he fidgeted, a thought occurring to him. "Do you need someone to help you dress?"

The girl watched as a slight embarrassed tinge made itself home on his face, the faintest of smiles twitched at her mouth as she shook her head. _No_.

An intense look of relief flooded through his system, at her denial, and as she began to make motions to get up from the chair he took that as his cue to leave. Without another word he left her room, but not before glancing back once more and wondering just how long she had been up. Then he shut the door firmly behind him and descended the stairs to tell his mother that the girl would be joining them shortly.


	6. Effort

**Author's Notes: **How's this for a quick update? Bet you were not quite expecting it so soon were you? Well, I hope that you enjoy Chapter Five; I am still working on Chapter Six which is turning out to be much longer than I originally thought it would be. –shrugs shoulders- Oh well. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed! Until Next Time!

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

**Effort**

There was something strange about their new houseguest that Mikoto could not quite put her finger on over the first few days that she was there. Of course the fact that her guest could not speak, had been starved, forced upon, and then bitten twice by their most loathed enemy certainly had a factor in all of the girl's strange ways. However, this was something that gave her and her youngest son a bit of confusion, and maybe the tiniest bit of concern.

After the rosette haired girl would come down for her morning meal, usually eaten alone or with Mikoto and Sasuke as she seemed too wound-up to eat with Fugaku in the room still, the girl would go sit in the parlor. After Sasuke or Mikoto had wandered in for various reasons, they would discover that the girl was fast asleep!

Mikoto couldn't really fathom why, as every night she had been making sure that the girl fell asleep in her bed, and come morning she was wide awake and waiting for them, according to Sasuke.

And then it clicked one morning, as the girl was fast asleep on the sofa. "Just how long is she waiting for us?" Mikoto asked of her youngest son.

Sasuke looked up, a bit startled by the question, as he had thought of the same thing himself the first morning, but hadn't seemed to question it since then.

"I'm not really sure. She's always awake when I come into her room at least," he frowned. "Why?"

She paused for a moment, contemplating. "Is she ever sleeping at night?"

Sasuke couldn't answer.

Burning with curiosity the two waited until the girl emerged from her slumber a few hours later. As the frail body stretched and yawned, she noticed the two walk into the room looking at her intently. Her heart began to beat faster, ever so slightly, wondering what was going on.

Mikoto sat next to the girl on the sofa, while Sasuke decided to stand, a bit of a distance away.

"We, that is, Sasuke and I, have a question for you dear," Mikoto began.

The girl eyed them warily, her muscles tensing out of reflex.

Mikoto noticed, and laid a gentle hand on her arm. "It's alright," she assured the girl. "We were just wondering how you were sleeping at night." She looked at the silent face, puzzled. "You fall asleep every night, and have always been asleep when I check on you later, and yet you seem to need more as you are always sleeping here." She indicated the sofa.

The sea glass eyes stared at Mikoto for a moment, before her eyes flickered between mother and son, a slight blush creeping across her features.

Sasuke stood there silently, studying her every movement, but it was his mother who spoke first.

"Are you having trouble sleeping?"

Reluctantly the girl half-nodded.

"Are you sleeping at all?" Sasuke's question caused her to start a little, and she looked at him for a moment before lowering her eyes and tracing the pattern on the sofa with her finger.

He sighed in exasperation.

Mikoto's brows knit together, and she grasped the girl's hands in her own. "How come you cannot sleep? Is the bed uncomfortable? Do you not like the room?"

The girl was already shaking her head 'no' before the vampire mother could get on a roll. She studied their joined hands. _Should I? _She questioned herself wondering, not for the first time, how much she could afford to let these people in. The more they knew her, and about her, the more dangerous it could be for all of them. But that incessant part of her had longed for just this kind of thing for too long now to be repressed. She sighed quietly to herself, giving in, in the slightest.

The small pale hands squeezed the worried mother's lightly, as her bright green eyes traveled slowly between the pair with her. Then she let her gaze fall to her lap.

Mikoto looked at her, more confused than ever.

Sasuke looked at her like a puzzle to be solved as something fell into place. "You only sleep when we're around?"

A pink tinge spread across the girl's cheeks.

"But we're only a door away," Mikoto spoke gently.

Sasuke shook his head, correcting himself. "When we're awake?"

The girl's eyes shot up and held his gaze with her own.

"Maybe you would feel more comfortable if you were not alone?" Mikoto ventured, watching the two. "Of course, you could not sleep in my room with Fugaku there as you're still nervous around him." The girl's eyes reflected a twinge of guilt. "Maybe we should have you sleep in Sasuke's room."

"What?!" Came Sasuke's voice, as both his and the girl's face swung around to look at Mikoto with identical expressions, aghast.

Mikoto smiled innocently. "I believe that will work out just nicely," she gave the girl's hands a light squeeze before standing up and making her way toward the kitchen, her forest green dress sashaying behind her. "I'll have to talk it over with your father, of course, but I do not see how this wouldn't work out the best for everyone."

She glanced over her shoulder discreetly and her smile grew as she watched her son and the girl looking at each other in a mixture of trepidation and disbelief before looking away embarrassed.

--

True to her word, the moment Fugaku was home Mikoto sat down with him and had a private conversation in their room, away from prying ears, both vampire-like and otherwise.

When they came back down the stairs the two young adults were sitting in the kitchen casting anxious glances at each other. From the triumphant look on his mother's face, and the baffled and bemused look on his father's Sasuke knew the outcome before he heard it. He stifled a groan.

"It's all set," Mikoto told the girl cheerily. "You should sleep just fine now." She winked at her husband conspiratorially.

_If she sleeps at all now_, Sasuke thought privately, and knew the girl was probably thinking along the same lines judging from the withered look on her face.

Later that evening, after dinner and a warm bath, the rosette haired girl found herself sitting on her bedspread anxiously. She reluctantly moved when Mikoto excitedly called from the next room over. As she exited her temporary room, she glanced into Sasuke's parent's room to see Fugaku speaking quietly and sternly with his youngest son, before she stood outside said person's room hesitatingly.

Steeling herself, she took in a deep breath before letting it out. _Just get it over with._

She gently pushed open the door. It was modestly furnished in a similar layout of his brothers with a bed sitting right in front of her as its headrest rested in between it's two windows. The windows themselves were hung with heavy navy blue curtains that wouldn't allow so much as a peep of light from outside in. To the right of the bed stood a dark comfy chair, just underneath the drawn window. To the left in what she was sure was a recent addition was a comfortable cot-like bed. Different shades of blue seemed to be the theme in the room, accented by the dark wooden furniture of Sasuke's nightstand, dresser, and washstand.

Mikoto was standing in between the cot and the bed, simply beaming. Timidly, the girl ventured in further reaching out for Mikoto's outstretched hand. Almost right behind her, Sasuke and his father wandered into the room, their conversation over for now.

"Where would you like to sleep, dear?" Mikoto asked the girl to dispel the awkward air that was beginning to collect in the room.

"She can sleep in my bed, I'll take the cot," Sasuke answered, resigning himself to the inevitable.

The girl's face changed subtly into a determined look of defiance. She let go of Mikoto's hand and sat herself onto the cot, folding her arms across her chest and seeming to dare anyone to try and move her.

The three looked at the girl with mixed looks of surprise before Fugaku gave a loud sigh, scratched his head and mumbled out "Just remember what I said Sasuke," before trudging out of the room and heading down the stairs.

Mikoto shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, sending a warm smile at the girl and wishing her a goodnight's rest before following after her husband.

Sasuke stood there awkwardly, not really knowing what he should do or say, as the girl began to fidget too. Finally he gave up, muttering that he wasn't tired just yet and left the room.

Sea glass eyes watched him leave in an amused sort of way, before taking the liberty of turning down all the lamps but one, and then slipping underneath her covers, her back to the wall and drifting asleep.

She awoke some time later to the sound of the rain's heavier fall and realized with a jolt that Sasuke was already in his bed fast asleep, his back to her. She sat up fast, her heart racing. _When did he get in here?! _She eyed his sleeping form in his own bed warily for a long time, before coming to the conclusion that she must have been more tired than she realized and resolved not to reach that level again.

She watched as the outline of his figure underneath the covers inhaled and exhaled in a regular rhythm, indicating that he was fast asleep. Her eyelids dragged at her to do the same, but the constant sound of the rain pulled at her.

Sasuke woke with a jolt when a draft of cool air slid across his neck and face. Discreetly, he rolled over, pretending to be asleep but every nerve was alert. He nearly bolted upright when he saw a dark figure in the room so close to him, but he realized in time that it was just the girl.

She had pushed aside the curtains and opened the window a bit, listening to the rain.

A streetlamp outside threw its light onto her features, giving her a glowing look. Her eyes, smile, and posture all seemed to reflect a tranquility that Sasuke had never seen in the short week he had known her. He watched in amazement as she inhaled deeply, breathing in the fresh damp air, a ghost of a smile alighting her face, lost in the serenity of the moment.

"Ame," he whispered near silently, before cursing himself internally as the girl whirled around to face him in alarm. The light reflecting her frightened expression, crashing them both back to reality, shattering the dream.

Sasuke sighed, and sat up slowly as the girl tensed and shrank from him slightly. "You like the rain," he stated more than questioned.

She froze for a moment, hesitated than reluctantly nodded, her eyes drawn to the steady rain outside.

He scratched his head embarrassed suddenly as an idea formed in his head. "Then," he began uncertainly. "Since we don't know your name, how about…we call you Ame? We can't call you 'the girl' forever." He watched as something moved behind her eyes.

_Another nickname,_ she thought warily.

It brought a deadened look to her irises only to be replaced a moment later by a look of determined acceptance.

_No, this time it's different._

Her gaze drifted back to Sasuke's and she nodded firmly once before she gently shut the window and crawled back in between her sheets. She positioned her back against the wall once more, but continued to watch the rain fall from the heavens, lit up like crystals when they hit the light of the lamps outside until eventually she fell into a deep sleep.

He hadn't moved but to slide back down onto his pillow, and watched her fascinated. He watched as her eyes drifted slowly to a close, and he heard her deep, quiet breathing begin. Then, as quiet as a whisper he slid out of bed and shut the curtains tightly, sending the room into darkness once more before he climbed back in between his covers, and fell asleep to her rhythmic breathing.

--

'Ame' awoke the next morning, completely bewildered to open her eyes to nothing but darkness, even though her body's internal alarm told her the sun should have risen by now. She heard a slight whisper of a movement and jumped, her heart in her throat, before remembering that she was sleeping in Sasuke's room.

Ever so quietly she slipped out of her bed and felt her way over to the door. She grasped the doorknob firmly in her hand, turned it and opened it without letting go. The dim hallway light traveled far enough to show her that Sasuke was still sleeping deeply before she shut the door just as quietly behind her, never once disturbing the sleeping figure.

She quietly padded down the hallway to her own borrowed room and slipped inside the room, noting the filtered gray light behind her curtains. Smiling she opened her dresser and pulled out a rose colored calico skirt and a crisp white Lenora blouse, donning them both atop her hoop skirt as she listened to the rain fall outside that was now her namesake.

After assuring herself that she was presentable she set off down the stairs to the kitchen area, surprised to find that Sasuke was already dressed and had beaten her there. Mikoto was beside herself with bliss as she bustled about making breakfast in her plaid Somerset dress, an apron tied securely around her waste.

"Good-morning." Mikoto exclaimed as she set aside her cooking and enveloped the startled girl in her arms. She hugged her tightly for a brief moment before releasing her and beaming into her face. "Sasuke tells us that you have a new name for now?"

Pink tinged cheeks nodded slowly.

Mikoto sighed almost wistfully. "Ame," she whispered. "It's beautiful, and it suits you so well." She eyed her son furtively. "Who knew Sasuke would be the one to come up with it?"

Sasuke choked on his drink, an embarrassed tinge streaking across his own face as he looked at his mother is exasperation.

At that moment, Fugaku trudged down the stairs and entered the room, causing 'Ame' to stiffen slightly. "Our guest has a new name, dear," she announced cheerily.

Fugaku looked up at his wife a bit warily. "What name did you come up with?"

"Actually, your son did."

Fugaku raised an eyebrow in Sasuke's direction, causing his embarrassment to deepen. "And what is it?"

"Ame."

Fugaku nodded. "Appropriate," was all he said before delving into his own cup of warm tea.

The girl, Ame now, not used to being the center of attention walked over to the stovetop to try and help Mikoto with breakfast. But Mikoto shooed her away stating that in honor of her new name she did not need to lift a finger for her first meal with it.

Ame sat down at the table hesitatingly next to Sasuke who in return darted his eyes between Ame and his father, Fugaku doing the same. She had never sat with all of them for a meal yet, it was a small wonder what having a name, an identity could do to a person.

She sat a little on edge, but the look on her face told the world that she was going to try her hardest not to run from the room as fast as her legs could carry her.

Mikoto cheerily set everything down on the table, before seating herself next to her husband, directly across from Ame, her smile lighting up the room in a way Sasuke hadn't seen in ages. He shook his head in wonderment.

They ate their meal in peace before each went their separate ways. Fugaku was off to the Council, Sasuke was off in his own search, and Ame helped Mikoto with clean up, the look on her face telling the young vampire mother that she was helping no matter what.

When the two were finished in the kitchen, Mikoto set about with lessons on reading and writing, which were difficult in of themselves since Ame couldn't read a loud to let Mikoto know if the girl was entirely understanding, but somehow they managed. These lessons followed others in sewing and cooking, things that Ame had never been taught in her life and was fascinated with.

As the day went on the rain outside grew lighter and lighter until it stopped altogether, leaving just an overcast sky overhead. With the two working together time passed quickly and before they knew it night had fallen and the lamps outside were lit before Fugaku arrived home with Sasuke in tow.

Their evening meal was a quieter affair, as each was lost in his or her own thoughts.

Ame took nervous glances about the dining room table. She could read each face as easily as an open book, wondering if they were aware of this or if they had reached a level of comfort around her to reveal such, unknowingly.

Mikoto seemed content, but worried over what her husband and son had been doing that day. Fugaku seemed concerned over something he must have seen or heard about.

While Sasuke seemed disappointed and slightly irritated, he kept clenching and unclenching the fist that was lying in his lap, out of his mother's sight.

Anxious, Ame discreetly slid her own hand on top of his, jolting him out of his thoughts. When he looked at her in shock she merely squeezed his fist gently giving him a brief half-smile before withdrawing her hand and standing up from the table.

Mikoto followed suit and the two began to clear the table as Fugaku finished and exited the room.

Sasuke sat in his chair, transfixed by the memory of her touch on his skin. He stared at it, as if unable to believe it was his, until his mother took notice.

"Sasuke is everything alright? Did you injure your hand?" Her voice was full of concern.

"No, I'm fine Mother," he assured her. "I'm going to go find Dad." He hastily made an exit, avoiding looking in Ame's direction completely. Ame herself was scrubbing the dish in her hand with extreme precision.

Mikoto looked between the silent girl and the empty doorway, puzzled.

--

Ame glided down the stairs after her warm relaxing bath, her bathrobe covering her nightgown as Mikoto had informed her it wasn't entirely proper to walk around like such as a young lady.

As she drew closer to the parlor she caught snippets of a conversation. She stood in the doorway listening.

Sasuke noticed her standing there and he stood up and walked towards her in the slow, human way. A few feet in front of her he stopped and held out his hand for her in much the same way he had seen his mother do before.

Ame had both her hands clasped together near her chest as she eyed his hand for several long moments. Then, ever so slowly she lowered one into his, closing around it lightly and meeting his eyes.

_I trust you._

Sasuke nodded and led her further into the room.

Mikoto had watched the exchange as she listened to her husband talk as they sat in the armchairs by the fire. Fugaku, however, had not and stopped to stare for a moment as Sasuke and Ame sat on the sofa together, Ame not quite letting go of his son's hand.

"Honey?" Mikoto prompted.

"As I was saying," Fugaku blinked and looked at his wife again. "We still have not been able to find anything on her, but we do have a few promising leads. Also, _his_ actions have halted over the last few days, indicating that they may not know where Ame is as of right now."

Ame relaxed visibly, settling further into the sofa. Sasuke squeezed her hand lightly, sending a blush across her face.

"And the Council has agreed to let her stay here?" Mikoto asked eagerly.

Fugaku nodded, "I have explained to them the vast improvements she has made over the course of this last week alone and they do not wish for her to have a relapse. When I explained yours and Sasuke's obvious attentiveness for her, they were very pleased." He turned toward his son. "The Protection Circle has asked that you stay around her as often as possible as a bodyguard of sorts," Fugaku nodded toward Ame. "They believe that since you are constantly on the look out for _him_, and that she is most comfortable around you, next to your mother, that you would be the best fit. Sending Itachi or even someone new might be too upsetting right now."

Ame bit her lip and dropped her gaze to her lap. _I don't want to be a burden._

Sasuke noticed her distress and gave their still connected hands a squeeze. "That's fine. I do not mind," he said clearly to his father but did not look away from her.

Eventually she met his gaze, glass colliding with midnight and she nodded gradually.

Mikoto clapped her hands together once, startling the two and drawing everyone's attention. "Well, I believe that is enough for one night," her smile one of ease. "It's getting late, we should all retire for the evening."

Fugaku nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose as he bid them all goodnight and walked up the stairs a bit fast due to exhaustion. Mikoto, hurried after him, grasping his elbow and leaning on him in contentment as they climbed the stairs together.

"You go ahead," Sasuke said quietly to Ame. "I'll take care of things down here. I'll be up in a minute."

She nodded once before reluctantly letting go of his hand and walking up the stairs alone, slightly disturbed that she felt such a loss when she did. She grasped her now free hand with her other and held it close to her chest as she ascended.

Sasuke in turn felt a lack of warmth in his own hand, but shook it off and set about putting out the fire and remaining lamps. By the time he reached his room, dressed for the night, Ame had already curled herself up into a tight ball on her bed. She had left one lamp dimly burning just as before and a small smile alighted his face as he watched her breathing.

She shifted slightly in her sleep, as if she could feel his gaze before he turned down the light and turned into bed.


	7. Trust

**Author's Notes:** I cringe at how long it's been since the last update, but like I promised, I have not and _will_ not abandon this story. I wrestled with this chapter for...far too long. Parts of it felt cliche to me, but most of it is very vital for the storyline. Let me know what you think. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed. Enjoy~!

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

**Trust**

The morning dawned as gray as ever, but without a hint of rain. Fugaku had left early in the morning to compare notes with Itachi before they commenced their continued investigation.

Once again Mikoto had arisen with the dawn with Ame not too far behind her. Sasuke awoke shortly after and the three enjoyed a peaceful breakfast together.

Sasuke had only glanced out the lace curtained windows of the dining room once before announcing that he was most likely not going to follow his father and brother after eating. Thus, when the knock came later that morning he was unprepared for what would follow.

Sasuke was sitting in one of the armchairs reading as Mikoto showed Ame how to properly tie off her thread and needle when the sound was heard.

"You poke back through the other side, catch the loop twice and pull," Mikoto instructed.

She and Sasuke looked up at the sound; Ame was too busy concentrating on her needle, she figured that any real threat wouldn't take the time out to knock.

"I'll get it," Mikoto said as she stood up. "It's probably Ms. Tsunade again."

Sasuke watched his mother's retreating figure disappear around the corner before watching Ame delicately catch the loop and pulling firmly. She looked pleased with the results until an unfamiliar voice reached her ears from the doorway. She stiffened quickly in response to Sasuke starting out of his chair.

"How could I forget?" he mumbled to himself, darting a glance at Ame in slight chagrin.

In the next moment a blonde-headed figure with bright blue eyes stormed into the room, fit to burst. "Come _on_ Teme! We've only been planning this trip for weeks! Take a break for once and-"

He paused halfway across the room, causing a nervous and apologetic dark-haired and light-eyed girl that was following right behind him to nearly run into his back.

"Naruto!" Another voice, one loud enough to match the boy's, filtered in from the hallway. "You shouldn't barge into other people's houses! It's rude!" The feminine body of the voice entered the room soon after, her long blonde hair and light blue eyes widened when she stepped inside.

"Ino? Do you think you could keep your voice to a reasonable decibel this morning?" A third female voice added to the commotion as a young lady with tied up brown hair, sepia eyes, and a rather full stomach tottered into the room. A young gentleman with long coffee-colored hair and light eyes hovered right behind her, an undercurrent of concern lacing his every movement.

"I'm sorry about this," a final voice added in a sigh as a young man with his brunette hair tied high on his head sauntered in at Mikoto's side.

She smiled graciously. "Don't worry about it Shikamaru, dear. I'm thrilled that you all are here, you haven't visited in ages." She halted at the crowd just inside the doorway to her parlor to see Ame looking at the rest of them, terrified. Sasuke was torn between reassurances and kicking them all out at once.

"Sasuke?" She asked, drawing his attention. "Why don't you take the boys into the kitchen to explain?"

Relieved, Sasuke nodded. Ame shot him an alarmed look. He looked at her for a moment. "Just the other side of the hall," he assured her.

She bit her bottom lip but nodded warily.

"Come on," Sasuke grabbed a hold of the blonde boy's shirt sleeve and dragged him out of the room, the other two gentleman following close behind.

The three girls left behind continued to stare at Ame, unsure, until Mikoto looked at her for permission. Only after Ame gave the faintest of nods did she direct the girls further into the room and had them seated.

"Girls, this is the young lady that Sasuke found. Her name is Ame," Mikoto began.

Ame was now sitting in the furthest corner of the couch with all of her muscles clenched; her old instincts flaring back to life. Mikoto, who was sitting next to her in the center of the sofa, grasped one of the pale girl's hands gently but firmly, forcing it to relax.

"Ame, I would like to introduce to you some of Sasuke's friends. This is Ms. Hinata Hyuuga", she indicated the quiet girl sitting on Mikoto's other side. "Mrs. Ino Nara," she nodded to the blonde in one of the armchairs, and Mrs. Tenten Hyuuga," she nodded to the brunette in the other armchair.

"I'm sure you have heard a bit about Ame from your parents?" Mikoto asked the room.

The three girls nodded in silence.

"So you're her, huh?" Ino asked, unusually subdued.

Ame looked at her warily and slightly puzzled.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you," Hinata's shy voice spoke up. "We're not all like that; like _him_."

Sakura shook her head in dismissal after a moment. _I know._

"No worries, Ame," Ino's cheerful voice buoyed back up. "We'll keep the men away from you, and if we can't the guys will."

Tenten agreed enthusiastically.

"Hey!" Ino's face lit up excitedly. "Why don't you come with us today?"

"Ino, I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Hinata warned.

"It'll be fine, right, Mrs. Uchiha?"

"Where are all of you headed off to?" Mikoto asked.

"To the beach!"

Mikoto studied Ame. "It might be good for you, dear," she encouraged. "Being outside and around people your own age would be healthy, even if they are vampires." She smiled knowing Ame had noticed almost immediately, hence part of her hesitation. "And with you going, Sasuke will be sure to stay with you the entire time," she added good-naturedly, squeezing Ame's hands as she said it.

"And we'll be with you too," Ino assured the still nervous rosette haired girl.

They watched as Ame debated with herself for a few moments. _Well, what could it hurt? I don't want to leave my scent outside this house, but being in the water will clear that up quickly. Plus, these are Sasuke's friends; he obviously trusts them, as does Mikoto…Why not?_

Hesitantly she nodded, as Ino let up a big cheer. "I'll go tell the guys," she said as she dashed out of the room in the blink of an eye. Hinata and Tenten shook their heads, as Mikoto smiled.

"So how is your little bundle of joy coming along?" Mikoto asked pleasantly.

Tenten brushed a hand across her bulging stomach. "Any day now I think, but I was determined to come today no matter what. Neji is just going to have to deal with it." She grinned widely.

Hinata giggled. "Between you and Naruto, I'm surprised he has any control left."

Mikoto joined in the laughter as Ame looked from one to the other, storing all the information away for later use.

A few moments later Sasuke reappeared in the doorway with Ino right behind him. He looked at Ame with his brow raised. "Do you really want to go?" Ame paused for a moment before nodding again, more firmly than the first time.

"See! I told you!" Ino's bubbly voice rang out. "Let's grab your stuff and hit the road!"

She waltzed back out into the hallway, dragging the guys with her and out the door.

Mikoto chuckled, "Let me see if I can find something for you to wear Ame, I'll be right back."

Hinata gracefully rose from her seat and helped Tenten up into a standing position, a step behind her as they followed Ino's dust trail outside. "We'll be waiting in the motor," Tenten called over her shoulder.

Sasuke trudged up the stairs, after throwing one last glance at Ame, to gather his things. Ame stood in the doorframe leading out into the hallway, not knowing what she should do with herself, or what had gotten into her. She had never been to a beach before, though she had heard of them often enough and seen pictures such as the ones in the Uchiha's hallway. Maybe it was the desire to see a body of water that impossibly big, or maybe…just maybe it was that little, unnoticed and hidden desire to just want to be _normal_ for a change. To simply exist within the sphere of people who had grown up with the possibility of light, people who had been given that choice.

Mikoto appeared moments later with a small shoulder bag. "Here, everything you should need is inside," she hugged the still too thin girl tightly. "Be careful, but have fun out there, okay? And you keep an extra eye on her Sasuke," she added as her son appeared next to her. Ame started only slightly at his speed.

"I will," he reassured her before slinging his own bag over his shoulder, and the three walked out the door.

After everyone bid their goodbyes, the group of eight traveled in the two borrowed motors to the beachfront. Ame could only stare out the window in slight trepidation, praying that no one would recognize her from the streets, but as the town fell away to rolling hills, and soon the open water, she relaxed with an inaudible sigh.

As the motors rolled to a stop right at the edge of the beachfront, Sasuke helped Ame down to the ground and she breathed in the excitement and fresh air surrounding her. The sound of the waves gently crashing on the shore lulled her into a calmer state as she tried to lend a hand with the equipment.

The guys set up both the men and women's striped changing tents, as the ladies set up the blankets and umbrella slightly nearer to the seashore. The fervor escalated as everyone set up, and upon completion the guys barely had enough patience to spare to let one change at a time. Within moments Ame was witness to all four gentleman racing each other to the water in their colorful one-piece suits, which looked like someone had decided to sew a pair of shorts and an undershirt together.

They were splashing, dunking, and general rough-housing; Ame was stunned to see Sasuke letting loose and just enjoying his time, before Ino had gently but firmly grasped her around the elbow and dragged her to the women's changing tent, seemingly unaware of her tensed muscles from the contact.

Ino herself had already changed into her white and navy blue striped swimsuit that was more of a short-sleeved, thigh-length dress with a pair of knee-length trousers underneath. On her legs and feet were black stockings and a pair of navy blue slip-on shoes. It was still considered indecent to show much of their skin in public, even if times were changing.

Inside the tent an already dressed Hinata, clad all in black with plum trim, was buttoning the back of Tenten's all black with a white polka dotted collar and trim suit. Both girls wore the same identical black stockings and black slip-on shoes.

As she finished, all three girls aided Ame into her swimsuit that covered nearly as much of her skin as her dress had. Just one look at it and Ame knew she would sink like a rock if she were to get wet. To her surprise however, the material was lighter than it looked, and with the loss of the cumbersome hoop skirt she actually felt unburden by her clothing for once. Her suit was white with maroon striping along the bottom of her dress, trousers, collar and sleeves. She also had a maroon belt that Tenten had to tie a little tighter than normal upon her waist, black stocking and slip-ons with white ribbons that Ino crisscrossed up to her knees.

Not used to being the center of attention, Ame could do nothing but stand there as they dressed her like a doll, and chattered quietly in the dim tent. Satisfied, the four young women exited the tent and set themselves underneath the large umbrella.

"Well, Ame," Ino began. "I don't think we have had a chance to really introduce ourselves yet." She smiled good-naturedly at the apologetic face of the pale girl before her. "My name is Ino Nara, formerly Yamanaka. My husband is the brunette with the spiky ponytail," she shoved her thumb over her shoulder in the general direction of the guys. "I met him when I was still in finishing school, and when I was still human."

Ame's mouth dropped open slightly in shock.

Ino's smile widened even wider. "I didn't know he was a vampire for quite awhile when I first met him, but as he began courting me things sort of fell into place. By the time he finally spit it out, I already knew and wasn't nearly as shocked as he thought I would be." She smirked. "The look on his face was priceless." Tenten and Hinata laughed along with her. "He proposed not long after, and after I made him promise to marry me as a human, I let him turn me. That was a year ago."

"I knew about Neji nearly right away," Tenten teased.

"Yes, well, your situation is highly unusual. So you cheated," Ino teased right back.

"I'm Tenten Hyuuga," Tenten informed Ame. "I've known the Hyuuga family since I was born and when my parents died in an accident when I was five, they took me in. Thus I fell upon their secret almost right away, but being so little I guess I didn't think it was too big a deal. Neji, the one with the long hair," she pointed him out to Ame "Hinata, and I grew up together, and as soon as I was out of finishing school Neji proposed and turned me." Her smile softened. "We've been together for two years now, and this little one," she stroked her belly. "Is about two weeks from his or her due date according to the doctors, but I think this little one is getting restless."

Ame studied the mother-to-be and knew, vampire or not, a mother's love for her child was something special and glorious in all of its wonderment. She felt a pang in her chest for a moment as memories surfaced, but she suppressed them quickly not wanting to alarm her company.

"You're so lucky," Hinata whispered. "You're going to be a wonderful mother Tenten."

Tenten blushed before her brows came together in concern. "I certainly hope so, but with you living just around the corner I shouldn't worry."

"Your turn is coming Hinata," Ino slung an arm around her friends shoulder.

Hinata blushed all the way to the root of her hair.

"You see," Ino began. "Hinata's boyfriend finally proposed to her as well. Right? Soon to be Mrs. Uzumaki?" Her grin widened as the poor girl blushed even harder.

Ame looked back at the beach to see the blonde-boy get dunked underwater by Sasuke.

"That's Naruto Uzumaki," Tenten supplied for her. "He and Sasuke grew up together, and are pretty close friends. He met the Hyuuga's around the same time I was brought into their family, and has had his eyes on Hinata ever since."

"My father and Neji's are twin brothers," Hinata explained. "So Neji and I are cousins, and now Tenten is my sister-in-law of a sorts." She smiled warmly at Tenten. "Naruto and I are to be wed in about half a year, and unlike Tenten and Ino I was born a vampire. My entire family is of vampire lineage."

Ame looked at the circle of girl's around her, touched that they had all shared their stories with her, and felt the ever-increasing twinge of regret that she couldn't say anything back. She smiled uncertainly at them before looking apologetic once more.

"Don't worry about it Ame," Ino waved away her silent apology. "We already know, and we don't mind." Hinata and Tenten were quick to agree with her. "And now if you don't mind I need to go and get someone's fiancé off my husbands back." She stood up quickly. "Naruto!" She yelled playfully. "What do you think you're doing?" She took off running down the beach as Naruto's eyes widened in an expression torn between mischievous and fear.

The three girls watched as Ino dove right in with the rest of the guys and dunked Naruto thoroughly. Hinata and Tenten laughed at Ino's antics as Ame's small smile spread across her cheeks.

After a moment Hinata sighed and stood up. "I had better go help him before Ino drowns him." She strolled down to the water's edge gracefully before digging into the revelry with nearly as much enthusiasm as Ino.

Tenten let out a great sigh. "I wish I could join them. It's just not fair that my 'condition' keeps me planted here."

Ame wasn't sure what to do. She settled for fiddling with her fingers for a moment until a shadow crossed her lap and she tensed. She looked up slowly to see that Neji and broken away from the group and was gently helping Tenten to her feet. The look of bliss on Tenten's face stirred something inside Ame; a longing she didn't know had existed.

She watched as the expecting couple carefully made their way down the sand and stepped into the water. He only allowed her to go in up to her knees, but the relief of the cooler water was evident on Tenten's face.

Ame was so caught up in watching the pair, that was was startled out of her wonderment when a few drops of water landed on her arm. She jumped when she noticed a hand held out right in front of her. It was Sasuke.

"Come on," he gestured.

Reluctantly she lifted a shaking hand, as her heart still beat furiously in her chest. Then with a determined look she slid her hand right into Sasuke's. He was slightly taken aback, but didn't let it show on his face. He simply helped her stand and calmly guided her to the water's edge.

Ame was enjoying feeling the texture of the sand through her thin shoes. The way it seemed to give way and hold her weight at the same time was fascinating. She immediately noticed the change when they hit the wet sand, how it was firmer, and didn't cling to her like the dry stuff had. She continued to follow Sasuke's lead, and delicately slid her feet into the delightfully cool water. She felt it lapping around her ankles as it began to soak through the material of her suit, weighing her down, and keeping her anchored all at the same time.

She held one of his hands with one of her own, the other on his upper arm as they moved deeper. As the water inched up her knees, her gripped tightened, and when the water hit the bottom of her dress she halted, eyeing the water.

Sasuke was puzzled by her reaction for a moment, before he caught on. "You can't swim, can you?"

Her look said it all as she blushed faintly, eventually shaking her head no.

There was a moment's pause then, "Would you like me to teach you?"

Ame's eyes widened in surprise before she looked at him warily.

" I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." His gaze was steady.

Jerkily she nodded her head. Sasuke released her grip on his arm and took both her hands in his and gently pulled her into deeper water, assuring her every faltering step of the way until she was in waist deep.

"Do you know how to float?" He asked her, not entirely sure where to begin. When she shook her head no, he studied her for a moment. He sighed slightly. "Then you're going to have to trust me, okay?"

She nodded quietly, as Sasuke approached her. He put one arm behind her back, and without warning used the other to catch her under her knees. Ame jerked and clung to him around his neck when she felt her feet leave the ground so that he was now carrying her in his arms.

He was startled by her reaction, but not so much as she was by her own. "Relax," he assured her as gently laid her out flat in the water, supporting her with his arms.

Ame felt the water creep into her clothing and dampen her hair as she struggled with herself to trust him. _He knows what he's doing_.

"Now, I'm going to let go, little by little, okay?" Sasuke warned her.

She nodded, trying to relax, but her eyes were squeezed shut. As his arms fell away she felt herself sink further and tried to wrench herself up, causing her to sink further, but Sasuke was right there to catch her again.

She sputtered as she wiped the water off her face. "You're okay, you're fine," he assured her. "Let's try it again." Her look of fear made him smile slightly. "I'm not going to let you drown. I'm right here. Just relax." He tipped her back again, and this time he waited until he was sure she was relaxed. Then ever so gently he released his arms, telling her to spread her limbs out as he did so.

Ame felt herself suspended on the water's surface, nothing but her own body keeping her up. With her eyes closed it was like she was floating on air with nothing in the world to bother her; when the pair of arms returned and lifted her up again, she felt a twinge of disappointment.

"Good," Sasuke said as a look of small satisfaction flitted across his face. "Now let's try it on your stomach. Hold your breath and keep your eyes closed. Ready? Now."

Ame's face hit the water, and let herself float as all sound was silenced under the water. Perfect silence. Once more the arms came up underneath her and lifted her out of the water, but this time she came up with a small smile, water dripping down her face. _I did it. _

As the time lingered on, Sasuke demonstrated the different strokes of swimming, and patiently taught her how to do each fairly well. Ame was well aware of his grip around her waist as they practiced, but was genuinely pleased to feel security rather than fright. She haltingly paddled a bit, as Sasuke guided her, until he slowly let go when he was confident she was ready.

Idly he swam alongside her in slow fluid strokes, and she felt her confidence rise. They swam for a few paces, Sasuke watching her, and Ame too pleased with herself to pay attention to much else until her head collided with something hard.

With a gasp that was silenced under the water she slammed her hands on top of her head, and wincing tried to stand up, water falling into her eyes. Sasuke was there immediately to steady her, as a blonde head rose out of the water wincing.

"I'm sorry," Naruto babbled. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I didn't see you."

Sasuke sighed heavily. "It's alright Naruto. She's fine. Right?"

Ame's head smarted, but she managed to nod and give the concerned boy a weak smile. It took a moment for Ame to realize that Sasuke was holding her up and against him in the water as he waited for her to get her bearings again. She felt a blush creep across her face and tried to gently break away, her heart pounding.

Silently Sasuke guided her back to the beach, after finally assuring a still apologetic Naruto that they were fine. Sasuke led her up to the umbrella where Neji sat with Tenten, Neji clearing off at their approach. Ino and Hinata followed Sasuke and Ame out of the water, promising Sasuke they would look after her.

He made sure to ascertain if Ame needed anything until she waved him off with, what she hoped was, a reassuring smile. Reluctantly Sasuke left to rejoin the guys, but continued to throw worried glances back at her until Naruto dunked him full under the water. A water-wrestling match soon sprang up amongst the four young men and the moment was put out of everyone's heads.

"Wow, I never thought I'd live to see the day," Ino said in a breath of wonderment.

Ame looked at her puzzled.

"We've never seen Sasuke so attentive toward anyone else like that before," she explained. "He's been so fixated on getting _him_ since he was little and found out about his mother."

Tenten nodded. "Sasuke's never spared so much as a glance for any girl before."

"And then he spends hours teaching you to swim," Ino added.

"You should have seen the look on his face when you and Naruto collided," Hinata murmured, looking at Ame.

A blush flushed across Ame's face that didn't go unnoticed, but unspoken between the girls.

Tenten became quiet as her face suddenly went white. Ame was the first to notice, and looked at her in concern. Tenten caught her looking and then let her gaze fall to her lap where a growing dark stain spread across the dark towel underneath her, she looked back up at Ame in a panic.

It took only a moment for Ame to process the meaning. _The baby! _Her arm darted out and clamped around Ino's arm startling the girl out of her reverie as she watched the guys play. Her eyes widened at the alarmed look on Ame's face, but Ame was looking at Tenten.

Ino's eyes followed. "Holy - Tenten did your water just break?"

Tenten winced in pain for a few moments as she nodded. Hinata, alerted by Ame's movements was behind Tenten before Ame could blink and rubbing her shoulders, whispering things to her that Ame couldn't entirely catch.

A millisecond later Ino was down at the waterfront, her speed, something they weren't supposed to use in public, caught all four of the young men's attention. Ame couldn't hear her words, but her erratic gestures was all Ame needed to know that they needed to get moving and fast.

Ino was back beside Ame in a flash, helping her to pack everything away quickly. Naruto and Shikamaru immediately seized upon the changing tents. Neji was beside Tenten in a moment, taking Hinata's place as she helped Ino take down the girl's tent. Sasuke gently lifted Ame up and out of the way of the vampire's hurried movements before giving her upper arms a faint squeeze and helping as well.

Meanwhile Tenten was beginning to panic, and Neji's calming words weren't enough to get her to settle down, no matter how much he explained that it wasn't good for her or the baby.

Unsure of what to do, but following her instinct Ame approached the panicking couple slowly. Apprehensively she reached out and rested a hand on Tenten's hand and the other on the brunette girl's belly.

Tenten stared at the glass-eyed girl, stunned, effectively calming her down. Ame smiled reassuringly, as she caught Neji's eye, and he gave her a nod. Ame tensed slightly as Neji rose to his feet, but helped him ease Tenten up to her feet and walked her slowly to the awaiting motor. Tenten let out another gasp, biting her lip to hold it in.

"Just go," Ino was saying to Sasuke as they approached.

"We'll follow you guys in a few minutes when we finish here," Shikamaru agreed.

Sasuke nodded as he opened the door of the motor, and Neji lifted Tenten in as easy as anything. "I'm driving," Neji muttered to Sasuke.

"Are you sure?"

Neji nodded firmly as Ame crawled in the backseat with Tenten, grasping her hands once more to keep Tenten calm. Sasuke climbed into the passenger seat, when he saw Ame going along, to keep her calm as Neji started the engine and headed to Ms. Tsunade's private clinic.

_Let us make it in time,_ Ame prayed.


	8. Desire

**Author's Notes: **What is this? Two updates in a week? :D Yes! Believe your eyes, it is true. I appreciate all your honest comments on the last chapter, and I hope that you will continue so that I can retain insight into this story's progression. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed. Enjoy~!

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**Chapter Seven:**

**Desire**

Everything went well. The four had arrived quickly and safely to the clinic. Ms. Tsunade was outside the door in a flash as her assistant, a dark shoulder-length haired woman named Shizune, aided Tenten inside.

The second motor pulled up just after Tenten was admitted, and the four piled out unceremoniously. Neji had been allowed in with Tenten, but the remaining six were asked to wait in the waiting room. "It could take awhile," Shizune, informed them before heading back in to aid Tsunade.

It was Ino who made the suggestion to change out of their swimwear and back into their clothes as they waited. Naruto, Shikamaru and Sasuke agreed to change first as they were the quickest, followed by Ino, Hinata and then Ame, who had insisted on going last with her hand gestures.

Ame was just stepping out of the side room they had all been borrowing, her hair still damp when Shizune came back into the room, smiling broadly.

"Both mother and son are doing just fine. Mrs. Hyuuga is asking to see you all. Please follow me," she turned and guided them through the door and down the hallway to the third door on her right.

The small group of friends entered through the walkway to see an exhausted Tenten with tears in her eyes holding a little bundle of white blankets close to her, Neji standing next to her, was looking at the both of them with quiet pride.

Ms. Tsunade had just stepped out of the room to give them all some privacy, promising to return in a few moments, and informing them to let them know immediately if they needed something.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Tenten asked as she shifted the bundle in her arms so that the entering group could get a better look.

Hinata and Ino were next to her in an instant gazing at the little face with tufts of dark hair on his head.

"Oh Tenten, he's gorgeous," Hinata breathed.

"You're so lucky," Ino seconded.

"Congratulations," Shikamaru added as he came up right behind Ino, wrapping his arm around her back and holding her closer as he peered over her shoulder.

"He's so tiny," Naruto said from the foot of the bed in amazement.

Ame hung back, unsure, until Sasuke took her hand and tugged her along next to him on the other side of the bed next to Neji.

"Congratulations," Sasuke murmured to Neji, who nodded his thanks.

Ame could only watch in amazement as the baby opened his light eyes to view the audience before him. _He's so quiet._

"Can I hold him?" Ino asked quietly.

Tenten nodded and shifted her baby so that Ino could safely lift him up and hold him close to her. Her eyes moistened up, and she snuck a glance at Shikamaru before cooing at the baby.

After a few minutes Ino offered the baby to Hinata who took a hold of him with a practiced motion. "You really seem to know what you're doing," Ino commented.

"I used to hold my younger sister a lot when she was little," Hinata answered. She smiled down at the little face looking up at her.

"He looks a lot like you Neji," Naruto remarked as he stood next to his fiancée.

"Would you like to hold him Naruto?" Hinata asked.

Ame shook with silent giggles at the look on the blonde's face. "Are you sure?" he stammered.

"Here," she said as she shifted the baby to one arm, and adjusted Naruto's arms before gently laying the baby in Naruto's hands. His look of terror caused Sasuke to smirk, as Hinata adjusted his arms.

"Don't be afraid to hold him close. He won't bite you," Hinata instructed.

"Not yet," Shikamaru murmured with a smirk of his own, his arm still around his wife, but her arms now around him as well.

Hinata glowed as Naruto tensely held the baby, completely unsure of himself, but grinning.

"Do you want to hold him?" Naruto asked and Ame was startled to realize he was talking to her. She glanced at Sasuke, waiting for him to nod and squeeze her hand gently before she nodded hesitantly herself.

She looked around and sat in the chair behind her as Naruto approached her. She tensed as he drew nearer, but Sasuke's gentle hand on her shoulder kept her from bolting. Ame reached out with her hands and delicately took the baby into her own, his slight weight comforting and reassuring to her arms as she held him close. She gazed down in wonderment and adoration at this tiny new being, amazed at herself. _He's a baby vampire and a male. I should be terrified. This creature could grow up to be the very thing I've feared my entire life, but…_

At that moment the little mouth opened up into a full yawn, scrunching up his face, and showing off his pink mouth, empty of all teeth both vampire-like and not. Unconsciously a warm genuine smile lit up Ame's face, one that stunned the rest of the room into silence.

Tsunade and Shizune entered upon this scene. Shizune stood in stunned silence as well, but Tsunade smiled, pleased to see color back in the girl's face, life in her eyes, and obvious signs of her health returning to her rapidly.

Neji, noticing the two's presence first turned to Ame. "Can I hold him again before Ms. Tsunade takes him?"

Ame crashed down to Earth with a sudden jolt and eyed Neji warily. Sasuke caught the subtle hint immediately and gently reached into Ame's arms, lifting the baby up before handing him over to Neji before he noticed her hesitation.

Ame half-smiled her gratitude; Tsunade taking note on it all, her eyes glazing over for a minute before smiling widely, shaking her head and taking control of the room once more.

When it was time to go, Ame found herself clinging to Sasuke's sleeve in much the same way she had clung to Mikoto's when she had first arrived.

* * *

"I remember when Sasuke and Itachi used to be this small," Mikoto reminisced as she watched Ame rock Tenten and Neji's baby back and forth, several weeks later. She sighed heavily. "It seems like it was just yesterday." She looked up at a beaming Tenten.

"Have you two settled on a name yet?"

Tenten nodded. "Suzu."

"It means 'little bell,'" Hinata explained.

Mikoto nodded in acknowledgement. "How's Neji holding up?" she asked, knowingly.

"Better," Tenten answered. "It was a bit of a shock for him when he couldn't figure out why Suzu was crying so much. Looks like all we have to do is bring him to Ame, and he'll be just fine." She rested her head in her hand. She yawned, "I might need to bring him here more often just so we can get some sleep."

The four women laughed as Ame flushed. She couldn't understand it, but she always seemed to know what the infant wanted. _Maybe it comes from watching everyone so much. I've learned to read body language a little too well perhaps…_

She looked up upon noticing a figure in the doorframe. Naruto was peeking in at the girls, glancing at Suzu every now and then.

"Would you like to come in and hold him, Naruto dear?" Mikoto asked politely, noticing the boy as well.

He watched as Ame stiffened slightly, sighed and shook his head. "No, I think it would be better not to."

Ame felt a wave of guilt rush over her. She had gotten a lot better since she had first arrived. She was fairly comfortable around the Uchiha family, Itachi and his mate included as they had both made a point to stop by every now and then and visit for just that purpose. Also, she almost never hesitated in her steps in the presence of Ino, Hinata, or Tenten anymore. Shikamaru, Neji, and Naruto were slowly easing into her comfort level, but being what they were her body just reacted on instinct still.

She cursed at herself internally. _Forget about _what_ they are, and think about _whom_ they are_, she scolded herself. _You're not doing anyone any favors by this, including yourself_. Externally she was shaking her head. She shifted Suzu slightly and motioned Naruto in.

The poor boy stood there stunned for a full minute before he disappeared in the blink of an eye and was heard shouting in the kitchen, "You won't believe this! Ame just invited me into the parlor!"

Ame squirmed in her seat, embarrassed, as the four women burst out laughing once more at Naruto's astonishment.

Naruto arrived in the doorway a moment later, dragging Sasuke with him. Neji and Shikamaru trailing behind in disbelief.

"It's okay? Right, Ame?" Naruto asked in excitement.

Slightly regretting her actions because she was once more the center of attention, but determined to move on past her fear, Ame nodded firmly.

"See! I told you!" Naruto all but jumped into the room, leaving a shocked trio behind him.

Naruto had to force himself to walk slowly, at a human's pace, as he approached Ame. She smiled nervously, unsure of what she should do now. Letting him near her was one thing, but touching a male was another matter entirely.

Noticing her hesitation once more, Sasuke was at her side in an instant, the speed something Ame had finally gotten used to without much more than a blink of her eyes in reaction. He lifted Suzu from her arms and handed him off to Naruto.

Naruto was grinning from ear-to-ear as he sat on the armrest next to Hinata on the other side of the sofa, holding the infant close, as a tiny hand wrapped around Hinata's pinky finger.

Mikoto excused herself from the room for a minute when she heard the teakettle go off in the kitchen, a radiant smile on her face. She nodded at the two still standing in the doorframe. "Go ahead," was all she said, and the two cautiously entered the room.

Sasuke sat himself in his mother's vacated seat between Ame and Hinata, sensing Ame relax almost immediately.

"Hey! I have an idea," Ino piped up. "Let's all go to the market. You've never been there yet, have you Ame?"

Ame shook her head and looked at the ground.

"If Ame goes, you have to come too Teme," Naruto called.

Ame felt Sasuke stiffen slightly next to her, his eyes darting to the window and studying the outside world for a moment. She watched his thoughts race across his face briefly before she looked at his friends. Their expressions all carried a tinge of sadness, pity or frustration. She took Sasuke's hand in hers and squeezed it soothingly. He looked back at her.

_Please?_

"Okay," Sasuke agreed, feeling a flutter in his stomach at the smile that graced her face and knowing that he had helped put it there.

The rest of the group exchanged silent grins.

"I'll go tell your mom," Ino announced, all but bouncing out of the room in her cheer. Shikamaru shook his head at his wife's energy and trailed out after her.

"Neji, can you come help me get Suzu's pram out of the motor?" Tenten asked as she stood up. Neji nodded, lacing his arm around her back and resting his hand on her hip as they too left the room.

"Naruto," Hinata spoke softly. "Let's go see if they need any help."

Her fiancé agreed and stepped carefully out of the room, still slightly unsure of himself with Suzu in his arms. Hinata giggled at his pace.

Ame realized abruptly that she and Sasuke were suddenly alone. It was such a rare moment lately with at least one other person in the room. The only time they seemed to have alone was when they were sleeping, and she wasn't entirely sure that counted.

Enjoying the moment while it lasted she reached out and intertwined her fingers with his, something she had gotten into the habit of lately when she believed no one else was looking. His touch had become as soothing as Mikoto's, if not more so.

Sasuke looked over at her, memorizing her face and the gentle peace that seemed to surround her for the moment.

With a sudden desire, he leaned over and pressed his lips gently against hers.

Alarmed, Ame jerked away in terror at the sudden intimacy.

Surprised and shocked at first, Sasuke realized his mistake and felt anger bubble up inside himself at his own impulsiveness.

"I'm sorry," he apologized gruffly.

She watched as guilt and hurt filled his eyes, and her heart turned over. It wasn't him. It was the memories that had surfaced unwillingly.

_But I don't want to be ruled by my memories anymore_. _And_ _I _want_ this._

She had watched the other couples sneaking chaste kisses when they thought no one was looking, and Ame had been quick to look away at first to give them their privacy. But as time had gone by, she hadn't been able to stop herself from watching as she felt new emotions stir within her.

_Desire_, she had realized and something akin to envy had taken up room in her heart. The more time she spent around Sasuke, the more she became frustrated, half with herself, half with him. He still treated her so delicately, as if afraid that she would bolt in terror at any moment. And she cursed herself because her muscles, on occasion, would still tense to run when she became overwhelmed by something.

_I'm tired of running. _

Sasuke stood suddenly to put some distance between them, but stopped shortly as he felt something tugging on his shirt sleeve. He looked down warily to see Ame stand with a look of determination on her face. He stood still, hardly daring to breathe as she stood up beside him and cradled his face in her hands.

Hesitantly she leaned forward, pausing briefly to search his eyes. She gave him a small smile of reassurance before closing her eyes and tenderly pressing her lips against his.

Sasuke's arms came up around her waist and pulled her closer, diminishing any space left between them. She relaxed into his arms and the kiss, enjoying the thrill of being so closer to another person. Of being wanted. Of wanting him back.

"Oi! Teme! Are you ready to go?" Naruto entered the room to see Sasuke standing by the fireplace and Ame standing by the couch, both with identical deep hues of red staining their cheeks. He raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

Hinata followed behind not a moment later and observed the scene for a moment before smiling knowingly. "Come on Naruto," she said as she tugged him out of the room. "They'll be with us in just a minute."

Ame tried and failed to calm her rapidly beating heart. She looked over at Sasuke in time to see him looking back at her. A faint pink blush graced her fair cheeks and she smiled softly, her eyes alive with a mischievousness that Sasuke had never seen before. He realized with a start how beautiful she looked in that moment.

He was at her side in an instant and she blinked in reaction. Glancing briefly toward the door he gave her a chaste kiss before lacing his fingers with hers and tugging her gently toward the hall.

She couldn't suppress her delight as she followed him out the front door. As they met their friends outside in the cloudy day, Hinata, Ino and Tenten exchanged knowing looks of almost smug satisfaction.

* * *

Ame gazed about her in wonder at the rush of sounds and colors surrounding her. Despite the cloudy day, many had journeyed out to the marketplace to enjoy the brief respite of rain. She had never seen so many people in one place before! Their voices filled her head as they carried on conversations around her. The bright colors of the stands mixed with the heady aromas drifting appetizingly from the carts.

Sasuke held her hand firmly and she let herself be tugged along the street in fascination. She didn't pay the slightest attention to where they were going, simply enjoying turning her head every which way in an attempt to look at it all at once, and trusting him to guide her safely.

"Sasuke! Ame! This way!" Ino called from a stall a few stands away.

The pair made quick work over to the stall and Ame gazed at all the displays of craftwork on the table. Already Hinata, Ino and Tenten were exclaiming over the exquisite bead work or the hand stitching. Ame's eyes were caught by the silver-wrought jewelry that hung in one corner on the other side of the table. She felt Sasuke's hand slide from hers as she made her way over to it.

The loss of warmth made her stop and she looked back at him questioningly. His eyes held a strange mixture of regret and caution, but when he caught her questioning gaze he simply waved her on.

"I'm going to see what Naruto's yelling about," he told her. And she realized that Naruto was indeed yelling for Sasuke with his usual reckless abandon. She smiled softly and shook her head in amusement, watching Sasuke wander over to over-excited blonde before turning back to the display.

Her fingers delicately touched the various necklaces, earrings, bracelets, hair pieces and charms. She had no true desire for fancy adornments, but even she recognized the beauty of such superb work.

"Hey Ame! We're going to check out the stand down there," Ino called from the other end of the stall, pointing at a stand just past the guys. Tenten and Hinata were already making there way over and Ino followed after waiting to make sure Ame had heard her.

She lingered for a moment longer before turning to face the crowd again to search for her friends. She halted abruptly as she realized that she was alone in the dizzying crowd. Her eyes searched frantically for someone she recognized and breathed a silent sigh of relief as she found Ino's tinsel blonde hair in the mass of people.

She carefully picked her way around the people, trying to keep Ino's head in sight so as not to lose her again. So fixated was she on not getting lost that she didn't realize she wasn't paying attention to where she was going until she stumbled into someone.

The figure, whose face was enshrouded by a shawl, grasped onto Ame's forearm as if to steady them. Ame opened her mouth to apologize, but closed it abruptly.

_I'm sorry_ she tried to signal, curtseying in apology.

"Quite alright dear," an androgynous voice answered back.

_Good, they understood me_. Ame tried to smile reassuringly.

"Completely my fault," the voice continued. "I wasn't watching where I was stepping, but do try to be more careful. You never know who you're bumping into. You might just run right into the very arms of the person you're running from."

Ame's eyes widened in fear as the hand on her forearm clamped down hard, preventing her from bolting.

"Never forget _Tori_, he's always watching out for you," the soft voice said as a piece of cloth was shoved into her hand, and the hooded figure vanished into the crowded marketplace.

Heart pounding in her ears, Ame looked down at the piece of cloth and felt the blood drain from her face at the figure of a snake ensnaring a helpless bird drawn on the fabric in a rust shade of color.

Her mind spun and her breathing came in short gasps as she tried to contain her wild panic. Her muscles seized as she couldn't decide where to run, the once warm and inviting crowd now seemed cold and foreboding. Every shadowed corner and every unfamiliar eye seemed to stare out at her until she felt like she was about to be swallowed whole.

"Ame?" came a distant voice. "Are you okay?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and out of instinct she swung out uncontrollably. Her fist connected hard with something as equally solid and there was a gasp of pain behind her. Her leg muscles finally unclenched as all the adrenaline hit her system at once, but she had hardly made it more than a few steps when a pair of arms caught her around the middle.

She struggled wildly.

"Ame! It's me," the person soothed. "It's Sasuke."

Her wild eyes finally took a good look at her captor, and her legs gave out in abject relief. Ino was at their side in an instant and she helped him lift Ame back to feet.

"We should go," Hinata whispered as the crowd around them grew larger in stark curiosity. They were drawing far too much attention. She shook her head minutely to Neji and Tenten who were approaching with Suzu in the pram, the less people this audience saw involved the better. The young family diverted their direction and casually strolled away to a secluded corner away from prying eyes, Shikamaru close on their heels.

"Follow Shikamaru," Ino whispered to Sasuke as she allowed Ame to latch on to her in an almost vice-like grip.

Hinata and Naruto brought up the rear, Naruto holding a hand to his nose and still wincing slightly in pain.

As the group ducked out of sight from the watching crowd they all turned to look at the petite human girl in front of them, her breathing still erratic and her fists clenched tightly.

"Are you okay Naruto?" Tenten asked in concern.

The blonde rubbed his nose. "If I hadn't pulled back at the last minute, I think she would have broken it." He winced. "Remind me _never_ to sneak up on her again."

Sasuke frowned. "That shouldn't have bothered her this much."

"What does she have in her hand?" Ino asked, noticing the fabric for the first time.

Slowly and gently Sasuke pried open Ame's hand and unfurled the square of cloth.

"Is that…_blood?"_ Ino gasped as they all looked at the rust-colored drawing transcribed on the material.

"Wait a minute," Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "Isn't that snake the symbol of -"

"Arashi," Sasuke hissed, his eyes flashing crimson.

"Then what's that bird doing in the center?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"I think the better question is 'whom'," Neji answered.

They all turned to look at Ame who was now staring at nothing, her face a blank slate and no longer registering their presence. A light breeze stirred the square, blowing strands of her loose hair about her face as they twisted desperately in the wind.


	9. Silence

**Author's Note:** Yes, this chapter is a little shorter than the last couple, but it's where it wanted to end. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed. Enjoy~!

* * *

**Chapter Eight:**

**Silence **

Now that Sasuke could get a good look at her he watched as she sat in the seat, lifeless, looking like a porcelain doll. Her already pale skin had lost all of its color; her hair was arranged delicately around her shoulders in the pale violet lace dress his mother had dressed her in.

They had made it back to the house without further incident, Ino and Hinata supporting her most of the way. Mikoto had opened the door with a bright smile on her face that had vanished at the looks on all those in front of her. After they explained what they knew, Sasuke's friends had departed, knowing that nothing they did would be able to help right now. Mikoto had assured them that she would have Sasuke get in touch with them should anything change.

At least she still allowed Mikoto to touch her. Sasuke hadn't dared to try for fear of aggravating her current state even further, but her face was remained as emotionless as ever. She simply sat in the chair as if nothing mattered anymore. Her eyes were like twin glass marbles that watched the clock and each passing of its second hand. She never once shifted her gaze.

Sasuke and his family were at a loss as to what they should do; his mother most of all, her expression nearly mirroring Ame's.

Tsunade had told them that the girl was simply in a state of shock; to just continue with their lives like normal and that things should sort themselves out in a couple of days. If not, then they knew where to find her.

So they had brought Ame to the table, and she had eaten like nothing was amiss. Mikoto led her to the bath and then fitted her into a nightgown after. She was brought back down the stairs and seemed to listen in on the conversation even if her eyes didn't reflect any understanding.

Perhaps worst of all was when Itachi accidentally brushed her hand with his and she didn't so much as flinch.

As hard as it was for his mother, it was worse for Sasuke. At least his mother could do things for her. All he could do was sit there uselessly and watch her for any signs of life or movement.

* * *

The first night was hard.

She thrashed around so hard in her sleep that Sasuke was up in a flash, lighting the light as fast as his fumbling fingers would allow. He whirled around to see her screaming silently, grasping her sheets so tightly that her knuckles were white.

All the noise, minimal though it was, had Mikoto up in a jolt; she hadn't exactly been sleeping well herself. Her movements had Fugaku up right behind her. Together they hurried to Sasuke's room to stop suddenly at the sight that met them.

"What on Earth?" Mikoto whispered.

"Sasuke, what happened?" Fugaku questioned.

Sasuke's eyes darted to his parents then back at the girl who had her arms around his waist, pinning his arms to his sides, in a vice-like grip.

"I don't know," he stammered, unsure of himself. "She looked like she was in pain…in a nightmare…so I tried to wake her up. All I did was try to shake her shoulder, and then her eyes shot open so fast it startled me. The next thing I knew she was crying and attached to me like this… What am I supposed to do?"

Mikoto viewed the scene before her. Under different circumstances the look on her youngest son's face would have been priceless, he hadn't looked this uncertain since he was two. Instead she entered further into the room and gently tried to free Sasuke of Ame's grip.

She was a bit taken aback at the girl's strength, but the more she tugged the fiercer the grip became and the more she trembled. Mikoto stood back and sighed after managing to free Sasuke's arms. "I think that's as much as she'll let me shift her tonight. You're both going to have to sleep like that."

"What?" asked both her husband and son simultaneously.

"She's terrified," Mikoto explained. "I think the shock is starting to catch up with her. If I separate her from you, the repercussions could be dire."

Fugaku shook his head in absolute bewilderment before trudging off to bed.

Mikoto helped Sasuke with Ame in tow back onto his bed. She gave her son a look that clearly read _'No funny business,' _before shutting the door quietly behind her and making her way back to her own bed. She snuggled in beside her husband, a small smile gracing her face as she sunk into a pleasant sleep.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was positive he'd never sleep now. He lay there in the quiet darkness of night as he felt Ame's trembling lessen until the finally ceased altogether. Eventually, after what felt like hours, she relaxed and fell into an exhausted slumber. Sasuke followed her soon after.

* * *

Sasuke awoke the next morning to the feel of Ame's arms held loosely around his waist, his own around her, and her head snug underneath his chin.

He felt Ame stir and knew the moment she was awake when she stiffened in shock at their close proximity. Sasuke drew away from her slowly and tried to smile reassuringly at her. He was relieved to discover that, while baffled and anxious, her eyes reflected her emotions again. Ame was "awake" once more.

"You were having a nightmare," Sasuke explained.

Ame continued to stare back at him.

He winced as a stab of hunger overtook his body. "I'm sorry," he gasped, gently untangling himself from the bed in search of his mother.

She watched as his eyes turned red from blood hunger as he hastily made his exit. She was left stunned, sitting in Sasuke's bed, wondering how in the world she had gotten there. She vaguely recalled the previous day, after her encounter with _his_ warning, all she could remember was chaos and darkness.

Periods of rest punctuated the whirl of emotions and suppressed memories, but it wasn't until, in the deepest well of her nightmares, did she suddenly feel warmth again. It seeped slowly back into her body and her mind before vanishing all the dark thoughts from her head, finally giving her some peace.

She stared at the door Sasuke had just exited. _Was it…could it possibly have been…him?_

* * *

For the rest of the day Ame was as twitchy as a stray cat, jumping at small noises and sudden voices, but Mikoto was immensely relieved that she was, for the most part, alright once more.

The only thing that seemed to have changed was that Ame no longer shied away from Sasuke's touch in the slightest. Almost unconsciously she seemed to find herself grasping Sasuke's hand, startling them both. Soon enough, however, it became natural to them both and they stopped noticing its significance, even if Mikoto didn't.

They watched too as, at times, it seemed that Ame would be on the verge of adding something to the conversations going on around her. Occasionally she would open her mouth as if to speak, but quickly clamp her teeth shut before a single sound could escape.

Sasuke didn't know who looked more frustrated, Ame or his family. It was as if Ame now had a hard time containing her words, affirming to the rest of them that she _could_ speak and simply _wouldn't_.

While he read her expressions and body language well enough, Sasuke began to idly wonder what her voice would sound like and what she would say when she finally released her control and spoke to him. His imagination didn't come close to the real thing.

* * *

After that unexpected first night, someone was always near Ame whenever it appeared she was ready to sleep. Usually Mikoto or Sasuke waited until she had finally relaxed into a fitful slumber before turning in for the night themselves or else carrying on to some other business. More often than not it was Sasuke who volunteered to stay with her, much to Mikoto's approval and joy.

It was one night during Sasuke's turn that Ame jolted awake, terrified. Sasuke was up in a flash, but stopped dead in his tracks as he heard something he knew he would never forget.

"Sasuke?" Ame called out softly, so soft in fact that Sasuke thought it had been a trick of the mind. Her eyes searched the room wildly, more asleep than awake and thus unable to see him in the room.

Sasuke was too stunned to respond at first, but as she called out his name again with an ever-increasing fear he snapped himself out of his stupor. "I'm right here," he assured her, placing a hand on her arm.

She nodded quietly to herself before drifting off to sleep, content for the moment.

Sasuke stared at the young woman as she breathed steadily in and out, still unable to believe that he hadn't been dreaming himself.

* * *

As she awoke the next morning to the sound of light rainfall out the bedroom windows, Ame had the peculiar sensation that something had changed. She didn't feel any differently and nothing looked any different, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened and there was no going back now.

_Well, it can't be all that important if I can't remember_. She shrugged to herself before getting out of her bed and making her way to her room for some clothes.

As she was tying a large ribbon into her hair to keep it back and away from her face, a hushed knock sounded at her door. She walked over to it and opened it herself, knowing that no one would enter as she couldn't give permission vocally.

She smiled warmly as Sasuke hesitantly stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. She looked at him in confusion. His face was a tangle of determination, apprehension and curiosity.

"You spoke last night," Sasuke began without preamble.

Ame looked up at him, startled.

His midnight gaze locked onto her jade one, and she felt the first twinges of fear.

"In your sleep," he continued. "You spoke. You called my name."

She felt her face flush and bit her lips, shaking her head back and forth slowly. Whether this was from denial of the act to him or herself, Sasuke wasn't entirely sure.

Her eyes shone with fear and desperation, silently begging him not to do this.

"Why?" He pushed on. "Why won't you speak when you can?"

Silent tears trekked their way down her face. Sasuke felt guilt wash through his system, but was determined not to back down.

"We can help you," he told her gently. "Whatever the reason is, we can help. Please."

He could see the struggle behind her eyes as she insisted to herself that she should not speak no matter what.

"Don't you trust us?" The thought hurt more than he thought it would, that in her stubborn silence she was refusing to let them in. That she would always keep them at a distance, no matter how close it appeared they would become.

She felt her heart skip a beat at his words and a new sort of understanding dawn. She heard the hurt laced behind his words, and hated that she was at the root of it. That she had unintentionally caused it.

_I can't. I can't. I can't. But… _

She looked up into his now guarded expression and eventually relented. She opened her mouth and drew in a deep breath to prepare her to break her one rule that had kept her alive for so long.

Sasuke stilled in anticipation when a knock sounded at the door and he watched as Ame clamped her mouth shut as tight as a clam.

"Sasuke? Ame? Is everything alright?" Mikoto's voice filtered through the shut door.

Sasuke studied Ame for a moment before turning and opening the door. "I was asking Ame if she wanted to go for a walk," he informed her.

Mikoto looked taken aback as her eyes darted to the gray window. "In this weather?"

"It doesn't look like it will let up anytime soon," he told her. "And she likes the rain." He mumbled the last part, the faintest of coloring alighting his cheeks and Mikoto smiled warmly.

"Just be sure to keep her safe," Mikoto warned. "And dry. She doesn't need to be getting sick right now." Sasuke's mother entered the room and sought out clothes more appropriate for the weather before shooing her son out the door. "I'll send her down when we're finished."

* * *

They walked in silence, Ame's hand tucked into the curve of his arm. They stood very close to one another so that they could share the umbrella Mikoto had happily supplied them with.

They were alone on the streets. The rain kept everyone else at home, warm and cozy inside.

She didn't mind. She did love the rain, and it would hide her scent from any unwanted searchers. She'd be lying to herself if she said she still wasn't nervous about the thought of being discovered out in the open, but Sasuke's solid presence kept her grounded and left her feeling safe.

They walked until Sasuke reached a park several blocks away, not stopping until he found a large overhanging tree that seemed to be his intended destination and they rested up against it.

She felt her heart hammering in her chest as she realized this was it. There was no hiding or running back now. She waited for him to speak, but it seemed that he couldn't find the words now that the moment had come.

The silence grew.

"How long have you been able to speak?"

It came so quietly that she had barely heard it above the rain.

"…I always have…but couldn't." Her voice was raspy and rough from disuse.

There was a long pause.

"Why?"

She sighed and leaned back against the tree, her eyes gazing upward at the dark foliage above their heads. "I've seen too much…heard too much…been through too much. It all had to be locked away."

"Why now?"

She looked down at her white knuckled fingers as they twisted in her grasp from barely controlled fear. "I couldn't keep it all sealed away anymore. From the night I first met you and your family, I've been losing my grip."

She watched as Sasuke pried her hands apart ever so gently and relaxed her fingers.

"How much do you know?"

"More than you can imagine," she replied softly.

They listened to the rain hitting the leaves far above their heads, keeping them dry.

"Will you tell us?" he asked after a moment.

Her hands clenched in his. "I don't want to live through it again."

"You won't be alone," he assured her. "We'll be there with you."

She bit her lip, her thoughts racing.

"Please?" he asked.

Sasuke waited, his nerves on edge as he watched her war with herself internally.

"Okay," she whispered

"When?"

"Soon…I promise."

Sasuke grasped her chin gently with one hand and tilted her face up to meet his. "Ame?"

"Yes?"

"What's your real name?"

A sad, small smile graced her face as she memorized his face. "…Sakura. Sakura Haruno."

"Sakura," her repeated and she felt a thrill of delight rush through her.

"Yes," she whispered back, nearly undone by the onslaught of memories from the last time anyone had called her by her real name. She was taken by surprise when his lips caught hers, but she relaxed almost immediately into his embrace, drawing on his strength and the security she felt in his arms.

"Sasuke," she breathed against his lips and his arms tightened around her, drawing her deeper into the kiss. Sakura felt her world narrow to only this moment; happy to lose herself completely if only for an instant. Gone were her fears, anxiety and past memories as she found herself ground so wholly in this one moment of time. She even forgot the rain that continued to fall around them.


	10. Story

**Author's Note: **Sorry it took so long for the next chapter to come out. The new semester began, and it the work-load was like being hit by a speeding truck. Enjoy the latest chapter~! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

* * *

**Chapter Nine:**

**Story**

In the week that had followed Sakura's first spoken conversation with Sasuke, she had managed to attempt smaller conversations with him when she was absolutely sure that they were completely alone. She didn't allow for even the slightest chance of someone to overhear her, so nervous was she about her own voice.

It took time for her to access her full vocal chords again. She didn't realize how frustrating it could be to not be able to control her voice. Then again, she had never needed to. Not for years. But Sasuke was with her, encouraging her every step of the way. He kept their conversations general and firmly ground in the present. It still caught him off-guard when he heard her voice; he was all too used to interpreting her body language instead. It seemed that since the first night he had met her, she always seemed to surprise him.

The next time she managed to leave him in astonishment was on a normal, every day night as she sat down for dinner at the table. He and his father had just entered the room, and Mikoto was laying a particular dish in front of "Ame," one that she knew was the quiet girl's favorite.

Mikoto smiled warmly down at the rosette haired girl when she smiled back and said, "Thank you," as quiet as a whisper, but stronger and clearer than when she had first spoken Sasuke's name. Mikoto's eyes widened in shock as the serving spoon fell out of her hand and clanged alarmingly on the table. The entire room froze.

The jade-eyed girl looked anxiously up into the mother vampire's face, uncertain of herself for a moment until Mikoto all but burst into tears of unrestrained joy and she hugged the petite woman fiercely.

"How-? Why-? When-?" It seemed like she couldn't make up her mind of which question to ask first.

"She spoke for the first time last week," Sasuke informed her. "Mother, Father, I'd like you to meet Sakura Haruno."

Mikoto held the young woman out at arms length and studied her face. "Sakura?" she breathed.

Sakura nodded timidly, her face flushed from all the attention, but the small smile on her face was hard to deny. She loved making Mikoto so happy.

"Haruno, then?" Fugaku asked himself. "Now we may be able to get somewhere now that we have a name to go off of."

Sakura gently released herself from Mikoto's hold and shook her head. "There is no need. I…," she braced herself for the inevitable. "I will tell you everything."

Fugaku studied her apprehensive but determined face before nodding. "Alright."

"With just the three of us dear?" Mikoto asked, stroking her fingers through Sakura's hair in comfort.

Sakura studied her hands gripped tightly in her lap for a long moment, the family giving her all the time she needed. She looked up at Sasuke after making a decision. "Bring everyone."

"Are you sure?" Surprise laced Mikoto's every word.

Sakura locked eyes with Sasuke and he nodded, understandingly. "Yes," Sakura answered. "Just the once."

The three Uchiha's understood what she wasn't saying, even without the words. Re-living it once would be bad enough. Why put herself through the torture of having to repeat it to any curious ears later? Besides, she had grown accustomed to most of their presences surrounding her on a daily bases, and there was no time like the present to truly put herself to the test. And with Arashi's warning still prominent in their minds, all four knew that the sooner he was taken care of, the better off everyone involved would be. He knew who she was with, which meant he now knew _where_ she was. It would only be a matter of time.

* * *

Sakura steadied herself as she heard the door open and another pair of voices add to the growing crowd inside the Uchiha home. While everyone present had now heard that Sakura _could_ speak, it was still only Sasuke, Mikoto and Fugaku who had actually _heard_ her speak. She winced at the manner in which they would be introduced to her voice, through her story.

She watched as all of Sasuke led Naruto, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, Tenten, and Neji with a sleeping Suzu in his arms. She smiled tentatively up at them and Ino, Hinata and Tenten all gave her encouraging smiles back.

"I always knew you'd warm up to us," Ino winked, trying to break the tension that was growing in the room. Sasuke had informed them all why they were there, and they had agreed to hide their shock from hearing her voice as best they could. Naruto had been asked twice, much to his annoyance.

Light conversation between the friends sprung up until the rest of the group entered the room. Mikoto entered first, her husband not far behind. Itachi and his breath-taking, dark-haired mate trailed in silently right on their heels. Tsunade brought up the rear.

_Now or never_, Sakura thought as she watched everyone filter in. _Are they ready for this? Am I ready for this?_

Sasuke slid into the seat next to her, providing warmth and security as she felt a wave of chills overtake her body. Slight panic began to well up inside her as she realized the magnitude of this moment for her. She caught Sasuke's eyes and simply watched him for one long minute until she had centered herself again. She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply; opening her eyes once more as she exhaled slowly.

* * *

She waited until they had all gathered around and settled into their various positions in the room. She had always avoided being the center of attention at all costs. To go unnoticed was the only way to survive. But as she watched everyone relax in comfortably she reminded herself of the importance of this moment, of its sheer vitality. Not only would everything she knew help Sasuke and his family and friends bring down the haunted figure of their world, but it just might reconcile her own nightmares. She might finally be able to put all her ghosts to rest.

"I'll take what I can get. It's not much and I know I could be betrayed in the end, but for what it's worth…I like it here. I've never been in a place where I have felt so completely safe and wanted before. Not in years…

"I feel clean again. As if I have finally awoken out of a nightmare that I know will still be there, waiting for me, when I fall back asleep, but still…right now, I feel happy. For the first time a very, _very_ long time…

"I know I have a boundary, and that I use it to keep everyone at a certain distance. There's been too much to forget, too much I remember. You can't even begin to imagine what I've been through. I wouldn't wish it on even my worst enemy." She caught the looks of disbelief in the room and smiled sadly. "That's right, not even _him_. Not even Arashi." She breathed in deeply, exhaling slowly as if to steel her for the next part of the story.

"And of course, he's the one who started it all. I hope you have a strong stomach, it isn't pretty." She felt Sasuke squeeze her hand in reassurance and solidity and she took the plunge.

"My name is Sakura. Sakura Haruno. It was the name given to me by my parents, although I have never had a chance to use this name much before. I do not really know the person who belongs to that name; I was never given the time to." She looked around the room. _Except maybe now_. "The name I grew up with was Tori. It was the name given to me by Arashi. He always said I was his pet 'bird,' his favorite toy. He has always loved his little games…

"I grew up in the dark. So much so that I do not clearly recall my parent's faces. I was so young when we were snatched from our home that everything is more of vague impressions that clear memories. I do know that my mother was beautiful; she had long, soft, wavy hair, gentle arms and a loving voice. My father was slender, but strong, he always protected us as much as he could.

"I suppose that was the problem. He never let anyone who worked for Arashi near us. I'm sure you can imagine how tired they grew of that after awhile. I was too young to 'play' with yet, but my mother…_they_ wanted her. _He _wanted her." Her eyes became glazed and to everyone else in the room it was if she had forgotten where she was, seeing something only her eyes could see.

"There was a struggle one day. It was such a flurry of movement and shouting that it wasn't until I felt the splash of warm liquid dripping down my face and my mother's horrendous shrieks of anguish filled the echoic room that I even realized my father was dead. There were other people in the room, prisoners like us, but they couldn't have done anything to help. They would have been killed too. I don't blame them for not interfering…

"My mother was never the same. _He_ bit her once and she didn't even react. He was disgusted with her; he simply tossed her aside and left in a temper. One thing stayed with her though, me." Sakura closed her eyes as she recalled the bittersweet memories of her mother. "She continuously played with my hair and held me close. She wasn't always in her right state of mind, she chattered to herself a lot, but I learned a lot from before the darkness, including my name. She would repeat it over and over again…I think it was because my father was the one who named me; I was the only thing of him that she had left.

"She knew this well and never let me leave her side for any length of time. I didn't mind. I loved her and she was all I had left in the world. To tell you the truth, I didn't want to leave her side either." Sakura opened her eyes again as if the next memories weren't something she could face in the darkness behind her eyelids. "But the day finally came that I was considered old enough to 'play' with. My mother refused to let them near me. I'm not sure if she even felt the pain they inflicted on her," Sakura's tone became bleak. "But the struggle went on long enough that Arashi had grown impatient and came to see for himself what was taking so long…

"I could barely make out the sickening grin on his face before he caught me himself…" Sakura's knuckles turned white in her grip. "I'll never forget the feel of his fangs burying themselves into my neck. It was one of the most agonizing pains I have ever felt. My neck felt like someone had heated twin pokers that stabbed and twisted as they sank further into my veins. The scream of pain that was torn from my body was unrecognizable to even my own ears…"

By now, Sasuke's fair skin had already turned paler from the stress.

"My mother screamed out my name then."

Mikoto's face was wet with tears as they coursed silently down her face.

"I believe to this day that she finally came back in that moment. Her scream was cut short just before I lost consciousness…I never saw her again."

Sakura paused for a moment to swallow the lump in her throat before she pressed on, unwillingly to stop now that she had started.

"Of course I woke up in the dark again, but I wasn't alone. I felt like I had been beaten all over my body, and my head pounded with the slightest of movements. But she was there. Maria. Her voice was soothing and soft. She wasn't very old, probably about that same age I am now, but she looked after me. She took care of me until I felt better and after."

Sakura tilted her head to the side as if still thinking about something. "I don't know much about her. She spoke about her family all the time, but always in the past. I did not know then or now what became of them or how she came to be there with the rest of us. I didn't ask. I don't think I wanted to at the time, but I learned of the outside world through her. That another time and place existed out of our darkness. That there was a thing called light and a sun…

"We became attached very quickly. That was my mistake." Sakura's features fell. "They came for her soon enough. One of _them_ had been given permission to have her. I heard later that he became overzealous in his feeding and drained her completely."

Sakura blinked rapidly to clear away the memories and continue forward. "Time moved on I suppose. Others tried to take me in, but I never got too close again. I never spoke. I kept my distance. I ate when I was told to because I do not believe I would have ever again otherwise. It became darker. I did not hear or see anything around me, so I didn't notice when we received a new guard.

"He was young, idealistic and a human. He had left himself be hired to help his family. As long as he worked, his family was left unharmed in their home, going about their daily lives believing their son was guarding a factory under a prestigious company. Ironically, they weren't too far off…

"He noticed me. He later told me that I resembled his younger sisters. He tried to befriend me, but he couldn't break through, I wouldn't allow him to." Sakura's gaze lifted to stare out the window at the pale gray clouds gathered in the sky. "Then one day he said something that reached even my ears. He said he was going to help me escape; he was going to set me free.

"He never told me anything but to be prepared at any moment. I couldn't have been more prepared than I already was. I had nothing to keep or take but myself. I didn't want to believe him, but Maria's stories of the day and of the night had sparked a flame of desire and hope in me against my will." She watched as the clouds grew darker. "One night it happened.

"When everyone was asleep he managed to sneak in as stealthily as any vampire and smuggled me out in his arms. I couldn't believe he had done it," the awe in her voice was still present. "It wasn't until we made it outside that I realized I was actually free. I knew then that I was no longer dreaming because I had never been able to envision the night sky before. It was probably the single most beautiful sight I have ever seen in my life. There were millions of stars alighting everything around me in a brighter light that I had ever seen before…the very air itself was something cold, fresh and new."

Sakura saw it again in her mind like she had that night.

"As he carried me, dashing through the streets, I could do nothing but stare around me in awe. The world was so much bigger than I could have ever imagined. He ran for a long time, telling me his family was in hiding, and that we too were going to hide.

"I had never had a true concept of time before, but as the clear glass of night shifted to dawn, I experienced my first sunrise. We stopped then, on a deserted street way. No one was up and he needed to catch his breath. I was fixated on the brightening of the sky; it burned my eyes but I couldn't bear to tear my gaze away.

"I had believed the night sky to be bright, but this warmth and light blew away all my expectations. That first sunrise surpassed the night in ways I could not even begin to describe. I trembled like a leaf before collapsing where I stood and cried for the first time since my mother had died…

"He picked me up again, but this time I rode on his back. We checked into an inn. He left the room as I had the first bath I could ever remember. Then I had my first real meal, though small it was stunning, and slept in my first bed as the run rose higher in the sky.

"I now had a concept of time that followed moving at night and sleeping during the day. It took a few days before I could fully adjust to the intensity of the sun's rays, but I never missed a single sunrise.

"I saw my reflection for the first time then too. I stared at myself for hours as he slept, discovering my face, hair, arms and eyes. Everything was so new to me. It felt like a dream and like all dreams, it didn't last."

Rain began to patter the window, slowly at first.

"Nine days after our escape they caught up with us," she sighed wistfully. "He had been tense and nervous all day long and that night was no better. We ran faster than ever before, something I was enjoying; using muscles I had never used before, never even knew I _had_ before.

"He stopped in the middle of an empty alleyway. Stark figures stood in wait at the end. He told me to run as fast and as far as I could in the direction we had come. He tried his best, but it wasn't enough. They caught him. I watched over my shoulder as I ran, torn between wanting to help and my own institutional need for self-preservation. My answer was given to me; I bumped right into it. Or rather, I bumped right into _him_."

The rain began to fell faster, lulling Sakura into some comfort that only the rain used to be able to provide.

"Arashi did nothing more than gaze upon the guard with an amused malice before dragging me back by my hair. I screamed and cried the entire way. I was dragged up in front of the guard and then mercilessly bitten without presumption. The pain was worse than I could recall," she grimaced. "I heard the guard screaming for me as my mother had before him but with the same end. Only this time, I heard his voice echo along with my mother's."

Sakura's voice lost her emotions. "I awoke back in the darkness, but this time was worse. I had tasted freedom, had been free. I was tortured by my own memories, and they all took some sick pleasure in it…

"They toyed with me, with promises of the night sky, of the sun. Eventually something inside me snapped. I became doll-like, impassive and resigned. I wasn't as much fun anymore. I was left alone. My one constant visitor was Arashi. He seemed to be studying me as I grew older and time passed.

"Then without warning I was dragged out of the room, through hallways and up stairs before being tossed unceremoniously into the cement outside, looking up at the velvet night sky. As I stared up in shock, Arashi's profile entered what had been a heavenly view, his sickening eyes lit with a fire's glow and his own twisted pleasure…

"He said, '_Alas me petite Tori, I do believe you have missed this. And I miss your vivaciousness, so I decided on this resolution. I shall let you go. Think of it as a running head start. It is nearly dawn; we shall begin our search at sunset. Please move quickly, I wish for this to be a wonderful game. Let's begin_.'

"The light was doused and I was alone. I knew he wanted to play a game of cat and mouse, or bird rather, and he had every intention of catching me whenever he pleased. But I was going to use his pride and arrogance against him. I may have broken, but I had had a lot of time to think, and that young guard had explained many things to me during those nine days. I was ready. I ran.

"I ran long and hard for days. I stopped for short rest as sparingly as I could. I listened to the shadows and whispers, and remembered everything I saw and heard. I stayed one step ahead of them. He became frustrated," Sakura's lips turned into upwards briefly in grim satisfaction. "But I didn't account for hunger. I ate what I could, when I could, by any means necessary…I was lured that way by a man once. I didn't understand what was happening until it was too late."

Mikoto was now buried in her husband's shoulder; he tried rubbing soothing circles on her back. Sasuke looked like someone had just kicked him in the stomach. Some of the other room's occupants simply stared at the young woman before them in shock, disbelief and horror. More than one had an undercurrent of anger swelling just beneath the surface.

"The pain and shock was astounding. I fought for all I was worth, but it wasn't enough. I was strong enough…I kept away from people after that. It didn't always work; I began losing strength quicker than I could gain it back. Several other men found me like this. I'm not always sure what followed. Anytime one touched me, innocently or not, I wouldn't remember anything until after his touch was gone." She tried to shrug unconcernedly. "Self-preservation."

The rain was now pouring outside the windows.

"I couldn't keep up the same pace I had started with. The whispers on the street let me know I was losing ground in considerable amounts as each day passed. I thought I could make a bigger gain on him when it rained one night, but I didn't know that had had found me just hours before." She breathed in deeply.

"As the water poured from the heavens I felt his eyes on my back, as if he were close enough to breathe in my ear. I panicked without paying attention to where I was going. I slipped, skidded and fell too many times to remember what hurt first where. And then I ran into that alleyway."

She gave Sasuke's hand a gentle squeeze, and he realized with a jolt that he knew the rest of the story.

"I had no way out. He sauntered closer to me like he had all the time in the world. And he did. I could feel it. My body had been pushed too far past its limits. I wouldn't last more than a few more moments on my feet. He never said more to me then 'You are _mine_ Tori.' He grasped my chin in his hand and that was all I knew. That I had reached my end. There was nothing left now. All sound, all sight, everything vanished as I retreated into my mind…

"I snapped awake to find Arashi was gone. Standing in front of me was another male. But something was different, something in the expression on his face was all I could register before there was a whooshing noise and my body finally gave out against its will. I felt something warm and soft break my fall before I was completely under.

Sakura's gaze scanned the room's occupants, taking in the various emotions written across their faces. "The next time I awoke was here on this couch, in the warmth of this room, wondering if I had awoken into another dream."


End file.
